WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Lexi Beck, Janae Sanchez and Lexi Jackson of Midwestern State are among the Lone Star Conference players to watch entering the 2023 season. The Mustangs were picked to finish seventh in the conference by a panel of coaches, sports information directors and selected members of the media.

Ryan Spence is entering his sixth season as the head coach, and led MSU to the finals of the LSC Postseason Tournament last year. Midwestern State won its final three regular season game to earn the No. 7 seed. MSU eliminated Angelo State in the quarterfinals and upset West Texas A&M in the semifinals before Dallas Baptist scored a 4-1 victory over the Mustangs in the final.

Midwestern State posted a 9-9-2 record overall and a 5-6-1 mark in conference play last season. The Mustangs outscored their opponents, 34-27.

"I don't put much stock in preseason polls," Spence said. "We were picked ninth two years ago, and we finished second. This is a competitive conference. From one season to the next, a team can go from second to ninth, or ninth to second."

Beck, who was named an offensive player to watch in 2023, started all 20 games and finished last season with a team-leading 13 points. Beck scored three goals and added a team-high seven assists for the Mustangs. The junior midfielder from Fort Worth, Texas, scored game-winning goals against Texas Woman's and Angelo State last year.

In her first season at Midwestern State, Sanchez started all 20 games and averaged nearly 83 minutes per appearance. She played 90 minutes 11 times last year, including a 110-minute performance in a 2-2 draw at Angelo State in the LSC Postseason Tournament. The indefatigable senior from Wichita Falls is among the defensive players to watch in the upcoming season.

Lexi Jackson is a goalkeeper to watch entering the campaign after starting 20 games last season. The junior from Lubbock, Texas, finished 2022 with a 1.34 goals against average and posted a .745 save percentage. Jackson made 3.95 saves per game, which was third most in the LSC last year.

Midwestern State, which was 6-2-0 at home last season, opens the season at Stang Park against MSU Denver on Aug. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

2023 Lone Star Conference Preseason Women's Soccer Poll

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year | Annie Severide (F), Dallas Baptist
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year | Rachel Allen (D), Dallas Baptist
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year | Reagan Heelan (GK), West Texas A&M

Place	Team (1st-place votes)	Points
1	Dallas Baptist (37)	504
2	Angelo State	457
3	West Texas A&M (1)	412
4	Lubbock Christian	351
5	St. Mary's	339
6	St. Edward's (1)	318
7	Midwestern State	299
8	UT Tyler	219
9	Texas A&M International	182
10	Oklahoma Christian	149
11	Texas Woman's	127
12	Eastern New Mexico	114
13	UT Permian Basin	78

  

2023 Lone Star Conference Preseason Awards

Offensive Players to Watch

Student-Athlete	School	Position	Class	Major	Hometown
Katelin Heise	Angelo State	MF	Sr.	Exercise Science	Lubbock, Texas
Michelle Gonzalez	Dallas Baptist	MF	Sr.	Kinesiology	Garland, Texas
Abby Ditzler	Eastern New Mexico	F	So.	Forensic Science	Keller, Texas
Graycen Rasmussen	Lubbock Christian	MF	So.	Physical Therapy	Joshua, Texas
Lexi Beck	Midwestern State	MF	Jr.	Management	Fort Worth, Texas
Kyla Lovelace	Oklahoma Christian	F	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Mustang, Okla.
Katie Gay	St. Edward's	F	Sr.	Environmental Science & Policy	Plano, Texas
Juni Ejere	St. Mary's	F	Sr.	Business	Weatherford, Texas
Krysan St. Louis	Texas A&M International	F	Sr.	Business Administration	Vieux-fort, Saint Lucia
Bri Luna	Texas Woman's	MF	So.	Business	Arlington, Texas
Tatiana Leggiero	UT Permian Basin	MF	Jr.	Engineering	Scotia, N.Y.
Sydnee Garner	UT Tyler	MF	Sr.	Industrial Tech	Midlothian, Texas

Defensive Players to Watch

Student-Athlete	School	Position	Class	Major	Hometown
Harper Saxon	Angelo State	D	Sr.	Exercise Science	Bluff Dale, Texas
Rachel Allen	Dallas Baptist	D	Jr.	Management	Waxahachie, Texas
Sierra Villanueva	Eastern New Mexico	D	Jr.	Social Work	Aztec, N.M.
Kenley Blevins	Lubbock Christian	D	Jr.	Psychology	Lubbock, Texas
Janae Sanchez	Midwestern State	D	Sr.	Applied Arts & Sciences	Wichita Falls, Texas
Brooklyn Fink	Oklahoma Christian	D	Sr.	Accounting	Moore, Okla.
Maddi Davis	St. Edward's	D	Sr.	Digital Media Management	Spring, Texas
Jackie Miller	St. Mary's	D	Sr.	Business Administration	El Paso, Texas
Marta Forne	Texas A&M International	D	Sr.	Business Administration	Pineda de Mar, Spain
Alyssa Valdez	Texas Woman's	D	Jr.	Business Administration	Dallas, Texas
Hayley Sawyer	UT Permian Basin	D	Sr.	Criminal Justice	Midland, Texas
Brooklyn Robinson	UT Tyler	D	Sr.	Accounting	Spring, Texas
Alexsis Villarreal	West Texas A&M	D	Jr.	Business	Mansfield, Texas

Goalkeepers to Watch

Student-Athlete	School	Position	Class	Major	Hometown
Samantha Jeffries	Eastern New Mexico	GK	Sr.	Filmmaking	Albuquerque, N.M.
Reagan Carter	Lubbock Christian	GK	Jr.	Counseling	Mineral Wells, Texas
Lexi Jackson	Midwestern State	GK	Jr.	Education	Lubbock, Texas
Ashlee Jackson	Oklahoma Christian	GK	Sr.	Interior Architecture	Mustang, Okla.
Rebecca Difronzo	St. Mary's	GK	Jr.	Business	Bari, Italy
Fabiana Solano	Texas A&M International	GK	Sr.	Kinesiology	San Jose, Costa Rica
Amanda Farris	Texas Woman's	GK	Jr.	Marketing	Bryan, Texas
Daniella Wilken	UT Tyler	GK	Jr.	Psychology	Herning, Denmark
Reagan Heelan	West Texas A&M	GK	Jr.	Civil Engineering	Kearney, Neb.