DALLAS – Rice was selected as the 2022 preseason favorite in Conference USA by the league’s 11 head coaches. Rice senior midfielder Delaney Schultz was tabbed as the C-USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while UAB senior defender Asha Zuniga was selected as the league’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Last season Rice tied for second in the C-USA West Division at 4-3-1 in league play and a 10-6-2 overall record, after winning the league in 2020. WKU, who is picked to finish second by the league’s coaches, finished 5-2-1 in conference play in 2021 and 10-5-1 overall.
 
The league shifts to a non-divisional format for the 2022 season with its 11-member composition. The top eight teams will advance to the C-USA Championship, hosted by Charlotte from Nov. 2-6 in the Queen City.
 
Schultz, last season’s Conference USA Player and Midfielder of the Year, led the team with nine goals, seven assists, and 25 points. She was second in the conference in goals and points and fourth in assists, while her four game-winning goals were the most in the league. She accounted for 64.0% of Rice's goals, scoring or assisting on 16 of the team's 25. Of her nine goals, six tied or gave Rice the lead, including two of their three overtime goals. Additionally, Schultz was named C-USA’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for women’s soccer.
 
Zuniga was a third-team all-conference selection as a junior in 2021 for the Blazers, starting all 19 games for UAB. She led the team with four goals, including a match-winner against Louisiana Tech and logged a career-high 1,803 minutes.
 
The 2022 C-USA season kicks off Thursday, Aug. 18.
 
2022 C-USA Soccer Preseason Team
GK       Bella Killgore, Sr., Rice
D          Lyric Schmidt, 5Sr., WKU
D          Asha Zuniga, Sr., UAB
D          Amanda Martin, Sr., Florida Atlantic
MF       Delaney Schultz, Sr., Rice
MF       Ambere Barnett, RS Sr., WKU
MF       Gi Krstec, RS Sr., Florida Atlantic
MF       Taylor Tufts, RS Jr., North Texas
F          Anna Sutter, So., UTSA
F          Allie Byrd, Sr., North Texas
F          Katie Erwin, Sr., WKU
 
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Rice (7)
2. WKU (3)
3. Florida Atlantic (1)
4. North Texas
5. UAB
6. UTSA
7. Middle Tennessee
8. Charlotte
9. Louisiana Tech
10. FIU
11. UTEP 

*First place votes listed in parentheses