FROM STAFF REPORTS

University of Montevallo junior goalkeeper Brendan Ledgeway and senior forward Shane Howard were named to the 11-member preseason men’s soccer All-Conference team recently announced by the Peach Belt Conference office.

The 11 players represent seven different Peach Belt Conference institutions with Clayton State, Flagler, Lander and Montevallo each placing two players on the team. UNC-Pembroke, USC-Aiken and Young Harris had one player each on the team. The preseason All-Conference squad was selected by the league’s head coaches.

Ledgeway is the lone goalkeeper on the preseason All-Conference team. Last year he was named first-team All-Conference and second-team All-Region as well as a PBC goalkeeper of the week three times. He led the Peach Belt Conference with a 0.85 goals against average and was second in saves and minutes played. He had 11 shutouts last season and had a 529-minute scoreless streak to set a school record.

What Ledgeway did for the Montevallo defense is comparable to what Howard did for the Falcons’ offense.  He led the team with eight goals and was ranked in the Peach Belt Conference top 10 in goals and points. Howard started all 20 games for Montevallo and had three game-winning goals, including the game-winner as part of a hat trick against Concordia-Selma. A second-team All-Conference selection, Howard was also a bronze scholar on the PBC Presidential Honor Roll.

The Falcons, who return nine starters from a team that finished 12-5-4 and earned a bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the fifth time in the past six years, will open their season on Aug. 31 at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla.