Lock Haven, Pa. – According to the PSAC women's soccer preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches, West Chester was selected to finish atop the women's soccer rankings in 2013. Pitt-Johnstown, under first-year
Head Coach Rachel Smith, is picked to finish 17th in the [program's inaugural season in the conference.
The Golden Rams were granted nine first-place votes and come into the 2013 season after advancing to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship quarterfinals in 2012. West Chester's returning goalkeeper
Shannon Fedyk notched a league-high 10 shutouts in 2012 and will be supported by a squad that ranked first in the conference in scoring offense with 2.33 goals per outing last year.
2012 PSAC champion Slippery Rock earned the No. 2 slot on the preseason poll along with seven first-place votes. The PSAC title marked the first for the program since 2003, as The Rock fought its way from the seventh seed to the conference crown. Slippery Rock has played in the NCAA playoffs in six of the last seven years, and will look to veteran goalkeeper
Dana O'Neill in 2013, as she played over 2,000 minutes last season.
2012 PSAC runner-up California (Pa.) took the third slot on the preseason poll. The Vulcans entered the conference championship a year ago holding the No. 1 seed after clinching a league-best 11 conference victories.
Gannon ranks fourth on the preseason poll and will look to 2012 PSAC Freshman and Athlete of the Year
Mani Brueckner in 2013. Bruekner finished her rookie season leading the league in points with 33 points (10 goals, 13 assists).
Kutztown holds the No. 5 position, while Edinboro claimed the No. 6 slot and East Stroudsburg earned No. 7. The final first-place nod went to No. 8 Indiana (Pa.). The IUP Crimson Hawks finished 2012 gripping the eighth seed in the PSAC championship with a 9-6-4 overall mark.
Shippensburg was pegged to the No. 9 spot, while Bloomsburg earned the No. 10 position. Lock Haven was voted to finish 11
th, while Millersville was assigned 12
th and Mercyhurst 13
th. Rounding out the preseason poll is No. 15 Mansfield, and newest PSAC members Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown rank No. 16 and 17, respectively.
Listed below is the preseason PSAC women's soccer coaches' poll. First-place votes are in parenthesis.
1. West Chester (9)
2. Slippery Rock (7)
3. California
4. Gannon
5. Kutztown
6. Edinboro
7. East Stroudsburg
8. 8. IUP (1)
9. Shippensburg
10. Bloomsburg
11. Lock Haven
12. Millersville
13. Mercyhurst
14. Clarion
15. Mansfield
16. Seton Hill
17. Pitt-Johnstown
