DALLAS – Liberty was selected as the 2024 preseason favorite in Conference USA by the league’s 10 head coaches. Liberty junior forward
Ivy Garner was tabbed as the CUSA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate
Sallie Garner was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Liberty enters its second season in CUSA after winning the CUSA Championship in 2023. The Lady Flames finished with a 16-3-1 record and their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The quartet of Ivy Garner, Sallie Garner,
Ainsley Leja and
Ava Goodman make up Liberty’s league-best four student-athletes on the preseason all-conference team.
Ivy Garner started in all 20 games for the Lady Flames last season and totaled six goals and four assists, ranking her third on the team in both categories. Garner also tallied four game-winning goals. She was a first team all-conference honoree and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region first team member.
Sallie Garner is a returning starting defender for the Lady Flames for a defense that led CUSA and ranked 15
th national in GAA (.600). The redshirt sophomore earned CUSA All-Freshman team honors following 20 appearances and 16 starts.
Led by reigning CUSA Player of the Year,
Loma McNeese, NM State lands three preseason all-league members and was picked to finish second in the conference in 2024. McNeese,
Ariana Leamons and
Xitlaly Hernandez landed preseason honors after leading the Aggies to a 6-0-2 mark and a CUSA regular season title.
FIU’s
Reagan Bridges and
Noemi Paquin, LA Tech’s
Kyra Taylor and MTSU’s
Manon Lebargy round out the 2024 Preseason All-Conference Team after standout campaigns last season.
The league welcomes Kennesaw State, bringing the membership to 10 schools in 2024. The top six teams will advance to the CUSA Championship, hosted by FIU from Nov. 6-10 in Miami, Florida. The 2024 CUSA season kicks off Thursday, Aug. 15.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Ivy Garner, Liberty
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Sallie Garner, Liberty
2024 CUSA Women’s Soccer Preseason Team
| Pos. |
Name, School |
Year |
Hometown |
| GK |
Ainsley Leja, Liberty |
Sr. |
Rockford, Mich. |
| D |
Reagan Bridges, FIU |
Sr. |
Littleton, Colo. |
| D |
Sallie Garner, Liberty |
R-So. |
Indian Trail, N.C. |
| D |
Ariana Leamons, NM State |
Sr. |
Buckeye, Ariz. |
| MF |
Noemi Paquin, FIU |
Sr. |
Montreal, QC, Canada |
| MF |
Manon Lebargy, MTSU |
Jr. |
Lille, France |
| MF |
Xitlaly Hernandez, NM State |
Gr. |
Phoenix, Ariz. |
| F |
Ivy Garner, Liberty |
Jr. |
Hillsborough, N.C. |
| F |
Ava Goodman, Liberty |
Jr. |
Pottsville, Pa. |
| F |
Kyra Taylor, LA Tech |
So. |
Longview, Texas |
| F |
Loma McNeese, NM State |
Gr. |
Sherwood, Ore. |
Predicted Order of Finish
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. |
Liberty (8) |
80 |
| 2. |
NM State (2) |
65 |
| 3. |
WKU |
61 |
| 4. |
FIU |
59 |
| 5. |
Sam Houston |
44 |
| 6. |
LA Tech |
38 |
| 7. |
MTSU |
36 |
| 8. |
Jacksonville State |
35 |
| 9. |
UTEP |
17 |
| 10. |
Kennesaw State |
15 |