UCI women’s soccer picked second in Big West

The UC Irvine women’s soccer team has been picked to share second place in the Big West Conference preseason coaches’ poll.

The Anteaters, who played No. 12-ranked Texas A&M to a 0-0 tie in an exhibition game on Wednesday, received 62 points to match Long Beach State.

Cal State Fullerton, the defending champion, tops the poll with 72 points and five first-place votes.

The other four first-place votes went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (two to go with 59 points for the No. 4 spot) and one each for UCI and Long Beach State.

In addition, UCI senior Natalia Ledezma and junior midfielder Cami Privett were named to the 12-player preseason all-conference team.

Ledezma, who amassed 15 goals and 14 assists playing forward and midfield her first two seasons at UCI, started Wednesday’s game as a defensive left back.

Privett had five goals and six assists the last two seasons and helped UCI post a 5-1-3 conference record in 2012, good for fourth place.

UCI, coached by Scott Juniper, was the conference regular-season champion in 2011 and 2010.

— From staff reports