UWP Picked to Repeat in Women's Soccer in 2009
INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Wisconsin-Parkside women’s soccer team claimed its third Great Lakes Valley Conference title in 2008 and has been selected to repeat the feat in 2009 by the league’s 15 head coaches. UW-Parkside has unanimously been chosen as the favorite to win the 2009 GLVC Women’s Soccer Championship in the annual poll released by the conference on Wednesday.
UW-Parkside finished atop the GLVC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll with 196 total points and 14 first-place votes. The Rangers outdistanced Northern Kentucky and Quincy in the poll. The Norse and Hawks finished second and third, respectively.
In 2008, the Rangers walked away from conference play with a league crown, Coach-of-the-Year, Offensive Player-of-the-Year, Defensive Player-of-the-Year, and Freshman-of-the-Year nods. UW-Parkside completed the season with an 18-1-2 overall record and 9-0-2 mark in the GLVC.
They advanced to the NCAA National Quarterfinals and earned the NCAA Midwest Regional crown after defeating top-ranked Grand Valley State, 1-0. The Rangers fell to Metro State in the quarterfinal round, 1-0.
Northern Kentucky placed second in the poll with176 total points and the final first-place vote. In ten consecutive GLVC tournament appearances, the Norse have clinched a league-record six GLVC titles and will be looking for a seventh in 2009. NKU finished the 2008 season with a 16-4 overall record and 9-2 mark in GLVC play.
Quincy garnered 174 total points to finish third in the poll, while Drury, Rockhurst and Indianapolis finished fourth through sixth, respectively, separated by just two points. Drury grabbed 144 total points, Rockhurst collected 143 and UIndy snared 142.
Bellarmine finished seventh with 120 total points and was followed by Missouri-St. Louis (98 total points), Lewis (95), Southern Indiana (76), Missouri S&T (73), Kentucky Wesleyan (46), Maryville (37), St. Joseph’s (33), and Illinois-Springfield (22).
Illinois-Springfield and Maryville will be competing in the GLVC for the first time in 2009. The two new members bring the league’s membership to 15 for the 2009-10 academic year. Illinois-Springfield will not be eligible for the conference women’s soccer tournament until 2010 and Maryville will be eligible in 2011.
The 15 member institutions will compete in a 14-match round robin conference schedule and the top eight teams in the league standings will advance to the 2009 GLVC Tournament which is scheduled to begin on Nov. 1. The highest remaining seed following the quarterfinal round will host the GLVC semifinals and final on Nov. 6 and 8, respectively.
The complete 2009 GLVC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll follows:
|
|
Team (First-place votes)
|
Total Points
|
|
1.
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UW-Parkside (14)
|
196
|
|
|
2.
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Northern Kentucky (1)
|
176
|
|
|
3.
|
Quincy
|
174
|
|
|
4.
|
Drury
|
144
|
|
|
5.
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Rockhurst
|
143
|
|
|
6.
|
Indianapolis
|
142
|
|
|
7.
|
Bellarmine
|
120
|
|
|
8.
|
Missouri-St. Louis
|
98
|
|
|
9.
|
Lewis
|
95
|
|
|
10.
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Southern Indiana
|
76
|
|
|
11.
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Missouri S&T
|
73
|
|
|
12.
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Kentucky Wesleyan
|
46
|
|
|
13.
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Maryville
|
37
|
|
|
14.
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Saint Joseph’s
|
33
|
|
|
15.
|
Illinois-Springfield
|
22
|
|