Thursday, August 20, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – With three straight regular-season titles under its belt, Western Washington is poised for another run at the crown after being picked as the favorite in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s 2015 Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Vikings received six out of nine possible first-place votes, leading the way with 78 total points in the poll after an 11-0-3 conference record in 2014. The team earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament, but was knocked out in the semifinal match by Cal State Stanislaus.

Western Washington was led by in 2014 with a standout defense that allowed just four goals in conference play. The Vikings ranked among the best in the nation in multiple defensive categories, ranking second save percentage (.913) ranking second in the nation, third in goals-against average (0.31), and fifth in shutout percentage (.667). The Vikings finished the season ranked No. 17 in the NSCAA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll.

The Vikings’ top-ranked defense took a blow this off-season, graduating GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Kim Cooper and Daktronics All-American defender Brianna Jones. The team also loses defender Katherine Miccile, who played in a school-record 84 matches over her four years at WWU. Overall, Western Washington returns 17 letter winners and eight out of 11 starters, including First Team All-GNAC forwards Jessica Bertucci and Catherine Miles, and second team goalkeeper Ashley Haden, who ranked third in the nation in goals-allowed average (0.32) and save percentage (.908).

Seattle Pacific is picked second, earning 71 points and two first-place votes. The Falcons won their second straight GNAC Tournament last year, upsetting No. 1 seed Western Washington in the final. Seattle Pacific finished the regular season tied for sceond with Montana State Billings with a 9-3-2 record. The Falcons also competed in the NCAA West Regional Tournament, but lost to eventual tournament champion Cal State Stanislaus.

Seattle Pacific paced the conference offensively with 28 goals and ranked 50th nationally with 38 total goals. GNAC Player of the Year Isabel Farrell returns to SPU for her senior year after an eight-goal, seven-assist 2014. The Falcons also return junior forward Hannah Huesers after she led the conference in goals with 15, ranking her 16th in the nation.

Central Washington and Montana State Billings tied for this year’s third spot with 52 points apiece. The Wildcats received one first-place vote in the poll after finishing in fourth place in 2014 with a 7-4-3 conference record. The Wildcats return an experienced group, with eight of 11 starters and 17 of 20 letter winners coming back to Ellensburg.

Mackenzie Nolte, GNAC Freshman of the Year leads Central Washington’s returnees after setting a CWU freshman record with eight goals. The defensive core of Aubrey Rodgers, Abby Litka and Allie Bohnett will help the Wildcats stay in contention while junior midfielder Keilin Farrand returns after a three-goal, two-assist season. Central Washington loses two key members of the team, including unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection Hadli Farrand and honorable mention all-conference goalkeeper Kayla Lipston.

The surprise of 2014, Montana State Billings rank tied for third in this year’s poll after being picked for fifth place a year ago. The Yellowjackets shocked the GNAC with a 9-3-2 conference record, earning them the No. 2 seed in GNAC Tournament. The Yellowjackets lost two First-Team All-GNAC players in Alisa Sagdahl and Haley McFarlane. Sagdahl was one of the top offensive threats in the conference, ranking fourth in points (seven goals, five assists). She led the Yellowjackets in both categories. McFarlane was a shutdown defender last season for Billings, helping post a 32nd ranked goals-against average (0.67) in the nation.

Midfielder Katlyn Lokay is the Yellowjackets top returning scorer, netting four goals in 2014. Jessica Spang had an impressive freshman season with two goals and three assists for the Yellowjackets as the team also welcomes 12 incoming freshman this year for what will surely be one of the youngest teams in the conference.

Newcomer Concordia is voted into the fifth spot in their first GNAC season. Sitting at 51 points, the Cavaliers join the conference with high expectations from their peers. A year removed from capturing an NAIA national championship, Concordia finished its 2014 campaign at 18-2-2. The Cavaliers outscored their opponents 41-10 and reached the NAIA National Quarterfinals after taking first place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament.

The Cavaliers lost five of their 11 starters from last season, but retain 18 of 24 letter winners. The team loses First Team NAIA All-American and CCC Defensive Player of the Year Jasmin Ayala, along with Second Team NAIA All-American Erin Huisingh, who finished with 19 points. The group of returners is highlighted by former CCC Freshman of the Year Bobbi Eckler and Third-Team NAIA All-American McKayla Madison. Junior Olivia Brock and senior Nicole Franklin will return between the pipes for the Crusaders after combining for a 0.45 goals allowed average.

After a fifth-place finish last season, Western Oregon has dropped to sixth in the preseason poll with 37 points. The Wolves just missed the cut for the conference tournament as they could not catch Central Washington in the final week. Much like Western Washington, WOU excelled on defense, allowing 13 goals in 14 conference matches, but were not able to score on the other end enough to win consistently.

The team does bring back key offensive contributors in leading point scorers Makana Pundyke (9) and Taylor Higa (8) and midfielder Mariah Konyn. Konyn was named to the Second Team All-GNAC while Pundyke was honorablemMention. While the defense as a whole was tough to beat, goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson was the highlight of the season for the Wolves. Johnson ranked fifth in the nation in save percentage (0.890) leading to her First-Team All-GNAC selection. Along with Johnson, defender JoEllen DeLeon was named to the conference’s first-team, but also like Johnson, the Wolves will have to fill her position after graduating. Western Oregon also loses senior defender Peyton Moon, who received Honorable Mention All-GNAC. The Wolves signed six new players, including two transfers, during the offseason to help bolster the roster.

Northwest Nazarene comes into the season ranked seventh in the preseason poll with 28 points, but has a chance to build off of last season with a young core. Led by sophomore goalkeeper Daniele Ortiz, who ranked 13th in the nation in saves (117), the Crusaders will need to help take the load off the young goalie after facing the most shots in the conference in 2014. Lexi Fesenbek, a senior forward, broke the school record in assists (12), ranking her first in the conference and 11th in the nation. Fesenbek was also fifth nationally in assists per game (0.67).

Ortiz and Fesenbek both return along with senior forward Nicole Nsa, who paced the team in goals (5). The Crusaders lose just one senior from last season in forward Sarah Blum who ranked third on the team in points (9). The team will be one to watch with only one key loss and a starting lineup last year that was comprised primarily of underclassmen.

Saint Martin’s ranks eighth in this year’s preseason poll as the Saints come off a tough season in 2014 which saw the team finish with a 3-10-1 GNAC record. Last season, SMU slipped to seventh place in the final standings after being ranked fifth in the preseason poll. The Saints were competitive throughout the season, though, with eight of their 14 conference matches were decided by one goal.

The Saints return Second Team All-GNAC defender Taylor Gersch and goalkeeper Sunny De Boer, who finished third in the conference and 39th in the nation in saves (95). Forward Kelli Bannerman also returns in her junior season after being named the 2013 GNAC Freshman of the Year and to the all-conference Second Team. The team, however, returns just four of their 11 starters, and will look for contributions from their nine-player recruiting class. The Saint’s lose their top scorer in Sasha Dini, who was named All-GNAC Honorable Mention in 2014 after scoring five goals.

Rounding out the 2015 GNAC Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll is Simon Fraser with 14 points. The Clan ended their 2014 season on a 10-game losing streak after opening the year 2-2 in conference play. The season was an improvement over previous seasons, with SFU winning their most matches since 2010.

Leading scorer and All-GNAC Honorable Mention forward Olivia Aguiar returns after potting three goals with one assist. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu will be back with the Clan in her sophomore season after starting 16 games in net. The team remains relatively intact and will look to continue their upward trend into 2015.

The regular season begins with the first counting matches Thursday, Sept. 3, with seven of the nine teams in action. Conference play begins Saturday, Sept. 19.