INDIANAPOLIS – Drury University was voted in the preseason coaches’ poll as the choice to win the 2022 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) women’s soccer title, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The preseason poll is selected by the league’s head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
No. 1 Drury
- Received five first-place votes and 133 total points.
- Won second GLVC title in program history after being voted ninth in last year’s preseason poll, going on to win opening match in the NCAA Regional.
- The 2021 GLVC Coach of the Year Justin Olson enters his third season at the helm of the program, accumulating a 10-3-1 league record last season and 16-5-1 overall.
- Elsa Gonzalez returns in 2022 after being named GLVC Offensive Player of the Year last season after scoring 11 goals and chipping in four assists.
- Of the five All-GLVC selections Drury had last year, four honorees return in 2022.
No. 2 McKendree
- Received six first-place votes and 132 total points.
- Has won four-straight GLVC regular season titles and made five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
- A familiar face will be on the sidelines for the Bearcats with Tim Strange leading the program for the 24th season, which follows a 12-3-4 mark overall and 10-2-2 in the GLVC.
- First Team All-GLVC forward Anna Stiffler is back for her junior season after finding the back of the net eight times last fall and assisting on five goals for a total of 21 points, which tied for fourth-best a season ago.
- The Bearcats open their season on the road in Iowa where they will take on Upper Iowa and Concordia-St. Paul.
No. 3 Indianapolis
- Received one first-place vote and 127 total points.
- Head coach Holly Cox heads into her eighth season with the Greyhounds, taking them to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments after a 8-2-3 record in the league and 11-4-3 overall.
- First Team All-GLVC honoree Kiki Sauceda is back at UIndy, coming off a year where she led the league in goals with 15, resulting in her being named the Midwest Region Player of the Year and D2CCA First Team All-American.
- Maria Herrero and Alexi Hardie are back in the midfield for UIndy, combining for 89 starts since arriving on campus in 2019.
No. 4 Truman State
- Received 98 total points.
- Mike Cannon enters his 30th season leading the Bulldogs, totaling 367 wins during his illustrious career, including a 10-4-3 clip in 2021.
- Beth Hopwood is back for her senior season after being an All-GLVC honoree last fall where she recorded the league’s third-best save percentage (.838).
- Truman opens its season with two in-region opponents at home against Saginaw Valley State and Davenport from the GLIAC.
No. 5 Missouri-St. Louis
- Received the other first-place vote and 91 total points.
- Maddi Moon heads into her third season leading the Tritons, owning a record of 13-13-7 since taking over.
- Two 2021 All-GLVC selections Cassie Hall and Maya Ware are back after being voted to the Third Team last fall.
- UMSL will spend the first three weeks away from home to open the year, hosting its first opponent September 16 against Quincy.
Rounding out the poll was Lewis (86) in sixth, Missouri S&T (69) in seventh, Maryville (64) in eighth, Rockhurst (60) in ninth, Quincy (59) in 10th, Illinois Springfield (52) in 11th, Southwest Baptist (25) in 12th, and William Jewell (18) in 13th.
The complete poll and voting results can be found below.
2022 GLVC WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Drury |
133 (5) |
| 2 |
McKendree |
132 (6) |
| 3 |
Indianapolis |
127 (1) |
| 4 |
Truman State |
98 |
| 5 |
Missouri-St. Louis |
91 (1) |
| 6 |
Lewis |
86 |
| 7 |
Missouri S&T |
69 |
| 8 |
Maryville |
64 |
| 9 |
Rockhurst |
60 |
| 10 |
Quincy |
59 |
| 11 |
Illinois Springfield |
52 |
| 12 |
Southwest Baptist |
25 |
| 13 |
William Jewell |
18 |