Puget Sound Favored in 2007
| NWC Men's Soccer Coaches' Pre-Season Poll: |
2006 records |
| School |
(1st) |
Pts. |
All |
NWC |
| 1. Puget Sound (Wash.) |
(4) |
62 |
13-3-2 |
10-2-2 |
| 2. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) |
(3) |
55 |
12-6-1 |
9-4-1 |
| 3. Whitworth (Wash.) |
|
51 |
10-5-3 |
9-3-2 |
| 4. Linfield (Ore.) |
(1) |
40 |
10-6-2 |
7-5-2 |
| 5. Pacific (Ore.) |
|
31 |
10-6-1 |
7-6-1 |
| 6. Whitman (Wash.) |
|
27 |
5-8-2 |
4-8-2 |
| 7. George Fox (Ore.) |
|
22 |
8-9-2 |
4-9-1 |
| 8. Willamette (Ore.) |
|
8 |
1-17-1 |
0-13-1 |
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).
SPOKANE, Wash. -- According to Northwest Conference men's soccer coaches, Tacoma, Washington will be home to the top two teams in 2007. Defending champion University of Puget Sound edged Pacific Lutheran University in this year's preseason poll, picking up 62 points and four first place votes to 55 points and three first place votes for the Lutes.
UPS won the league with a 10-2-2 record last season behind a defense that allowed only 0.38 goals per match. Logger keeper Pete Van Sant, the 2006 NWC defensive player of the year, returns to mind the nets for his senior season. All-NWC defender Cole Peterson also returns, along with all-conference midfielder Scott Blanchett.
Pacific Lutheran finished third in the standings last season (9-4-1) and welcomes back a pair of First Team All-NWC players of their own in defender Brian Lubeck and forward Mike Ferguson.
Whitworth University finished third in the poll with 51 points. The Pirates, who won conference titles in 2004 and 2005, will have to overcome the graduation of five First or Second Team All-NWC honorees from last season's squad if they want to return to the top of the standings.
Linfield College picked up one first place vote and 40 points to finish fourth in the poll. The Wildcats graduated two of their three First Team All-NWC selections from last season, but do have defender Chris Nicoletti returning for his senior season.
Pacific University surprised some observer's by contending for the NWC title for much of last season. The Boxers are fifth in the poll with 31 points and welcome back midfielder Danny Williams.
Whitman College is sixth in the poll with 27 points. The leading scorer from last fall, Stephen Phillips, is back on the attack for the Missionaries.
George Fox University (22 points) is seventh place in the poll and hope to continue the improvement that saw the Bruins increase their win total from two in 2005 to eight in 2006.
Likewise, Willamette (8 points, eighth in the poll) will try to improve on last season's win total of one match.
The season gets underway on August 31st.