2016 Northwest Conference Women’s Soccer Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll
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TEAM
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1STS
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PTS
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‘15 NWC
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’15 ALL
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University of Puget Sound
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(5)
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66
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12-0-4
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17-0-5
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Pacific Lutheran University
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(4)
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64
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11-3-2
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15-3-2
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Willamette University
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|
44
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9-6-1
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9-9-2
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Linfield College
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43
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7-5-4
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10-5-4
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Lewis & Clark College
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|
32
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7-8-1
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11-8-1
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Whitman College
|
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31
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3-7-6
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3-11-6
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Whitworth University
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|
24
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4-9-3
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6-11-3
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George Fox University
|
|
17
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3-12-1
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5-13-1
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Pacific University (Ore.)
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|
13
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4-10-2
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4-14-2
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(Points awarded on a 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote on their own teams.
NWC WOMEN’S SOCCER POLL: Puget Sound a Narrow Pick over Pacific Lutheran
HILLSBORO, Ore. – By a narrow margin, the University of Puget Sound has been picked to win the 2016 Northwest Conference women’s soccer title over crosstown rival Pacific Lutheran University, according to a pre-season poll of the league’s nine coaches as announced Thursday by the conference office.
Puget Sound collected five first-place votes and 66 total points in the poll to four firsts and 64 points for Pacific Lutheran. Coaches, three of whom are new to their positions this season, were not allowed to vote on their own teams.
Puget Sound is the defending conference champion after going 12-0-4 in conference play in 2015, earning its 14th consecutive league crown, the longest active streak at the NCAA Division III level. The Loggers finished 17-0-5 overall after defeating Augustana (Ill.) and falling on penalty kicks to Wartburg in the NCAA National Tournament. Puget Sound was ranked 16th in the final D3soocer.com poll and 17th in the NSCAA poll.
The Loggers have big shoes to fill with the loss of NSCAA First Team All-West Region midfielder Amalia Acorda-Fey and Second Team defender Liz Blonden, the NWC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year respectively. However, new head coach Joseph Vari has All-NWC Second Teamers Lauren Thomas (Sr., GK), the national leader in goals against average (0.130) and save percentage (.940), and Emma Donckels (Sr., D), along with honorable mention choice Bailey Edwards (Sr., D) returning to what should be another formidable defense. Vari comes to Puget Sound from Rhodes University, replacing retired NWC Coach of the Year Randy Hanson, whose 20-year record with the Loggers was 303-74-56.
The NWC’s other Tacoma-area team, Pacific Lutheran, posted an 11-3-2 conference record to finish second and a 15-3-2 overall mark last year. The Lutes will give the Loggers a run for their money with the return of a trio of All-West Region performers in First Team F Machaela Graddy (Jr.), Second Team D Kelly White (Sr.), and Third Team M Hailey Smoot (Jr.), along with All-NWC First Team GK Takara Mitsui (Sr.) and Second Team M Taylor Lunde (So.). The Lutes are under the direction of head coach Seth Spidahl, who has compiled a 46-17-15 record in his four seasons at PLU.
One point separated the third and fourth-place teams in the poll, with Willamette University receiving 44 votes and Linfield College 43. Willamette struggled in its non-conference slate but turned it on during NWC play, finishing third in the league at 9-6-1 and 9-9-2 overall. Linfield took fourth in the conference at 7-5-4 and was 10-5-4 overall.
Willamette’s chances to challenge the favorites begin with versatile All-NWC Second Team M Kelsey Walker (Jr.), who earned both an Offensive and a Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week award last fall, and honorable mention GK Emily Sewall (Sr.). The Bearcats must find a replacement for All-NWC First Team D Jill Phillips. Head coach Hillary Arthur enters her ninth season at Willamette, having guided the Bearcats to four third-place finishes in the league.
Linfield graduated All-NWC First Team M Emma Vukic, but brings back Second Team D Kendra McSheridan (Sr.) and honorable mention D Annie Ferguson (So.) in an effort to climb in the conference standings. The Wildcats will be led again by Cole McCool, who has a 25-9-4 record after two seasons as head coach following four years as a Linfield assistant.
The battle for fifth and sixth place in the poll was equally compelling as Lewis & Clark College finished with 32 points and Whitman College with 31. Lewis & Clark came in fifth in the NWC last year with a 7-8-1 record and was 11-8-1 overall, while Whitman tied for sixth in the league at 3-7-6 and was 3-11-6 overall.
Lewis & Clark suffered significant losses on the offensive end with the graduation of All-NWC First Team M Kylie Carera, F Emily Thompson, and Second Team F Anna Thorndike. The Pioneers’ defense should be solid, though, with the return of Second Team selection Isobel Fikso (Sr., D). Veteran head coach Jim Tursi, who also coached at Willamette for 15 seasons, is entering his seventh season with the Pios.
Whitman’s lineup features a pair of returning All-NWC First Team honorees in Lena de Guzman (Sr., M) and Alissa Soo (Jr., F), but Second Team M Kelsey Peck must be replaced. Head coach Laura Williamson is starting her third season at Whitman this fall.
The bottom third of the poll showed Whitworth University seventh with 24 points, George Fox University eighth with 17 points, and Pacific University (Ore.) with 13 points. Whitworth tied for sixth in the conference with a 4-9-3 record and was 6-11-3 overall, George came in ninth with a 3-12-1 league mark and a 5-13-1 overall slate, and Pacific placed eighth in the NWC at 4-10-2 and was 4-14-2 overall.
Whitworth will be without the scoring skills of All-NWC Second Team F Tiara Pajimola, but welcomes back Second Team D Hannah Langbehn (Sr.). Bryan Olson, for six years the top assistant for the Pirates’ men’s program, moves over to lead the women’s team this year.
George Fox hopes to continue its offensive improvement with the return of talented scorer Savannah Moison (So., F), an All-NWC Second Team selection. Head coach Cory Hand will be guiding the Bruins’ program for his fourth season this fall.
Pacific’s chances for improvement begin with All-NWC honorable mention D Ashley Park-Hunt (Sr.). The Boxers will also be under new leadership in 2016 as Steve Lucas brings over a 111-116-28 record from 13 seasons at Division I Boise State University.
The 2016 season gets under way on Thursday, Sept. 1, with five games: Whitworth at Carleton University, Pacific Lutheran at Hardin-Simmons University, George Fox at Western Oregon University, Willamette at Northwest Christian University, and Evergreen State College at Pacific (Ore.). The conference schedule starts with a single night game on Wednesday, Sept. 14, with Lewis & Clark at George Fox.
The Northwest Conference does not have a post-season women’s soccer tournament to determine its representative to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. Instead, the NWC sends its regular season champion to the playoffs as determined by its double round-robin schedule.
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