WOMEN'S SOCCER PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN CACC PRE-SEASON POLL
August 16, 2010

WOMEN'S SOCCER PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN CACC PRE-SEASON POLL

New Haven, CT (8/16/10) After picking up eight of 13 first-place votes and 160 points, Philadelphia University tops the 2010 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll, according to balloting conducted by the league’s head coaches. Holy Family University was picked second with 149 points, while Georgian Court University was just one vote behind in third place with 148 points.

New Haven, CT (8/16/10)  After picking up eight of 13 first-place votes and 160 points, Philadelphia University tops the 2010 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll, according to balloting conducted by the league’s head coaches. Holy Family University was picked second with 149 points, while Georgian Court University was just one vote behind in third place with 148 points.

Philadelphia will be led by head coach George Dunbar, who returns to the pitch for his 11th season. The Lady Rams went 13-5-3 overall last season and shared the conference regular-season championship with a 10-2 record. The team fell, 1-0, to Holy Family in the semi-finals of the conference tournament. Philadelphia returns CACC Rookie of the Year, forward Trisha Sileo, CACC first team goalie, Kelli Kowalewski and All-Tournament selection, forward Gabby Haden. As a freshman last season, Sileo ranked third in the conference with 32 points and 14 goals. Kowalewski led the league in goals-against average (0.62) and save percentage (.907) in 2009. 

Holy Family won the 2009 CACC Tournament Championship as the No. 4 seed, registering 1-0 victories over Wilmington, Philadelphia and Georgian Court. The Tigers have won four of the last seven titles, also securing championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The Tigers collected one first-place tally and 149 votes in the poll. Returning to help lead the Tigers will be junior goalie Gina Mansi, who was named CACC Tournament MVP last season after registering three shutouts. Also back is sophomore Megan Tole, who scored the lone goal in last season’s championship game, and first team All-CACC midfielder Lindsay Fisher.

Georgian Court, which picked up three first-place nods in the poll, advanced to the last two CACC Tournament championship matches, winning the title in 2008 and falling to Holy Family last season. The Lions tied for the conference regular-season championship with a 10-2 mark in 2009. GCU went 15-8 overall and returns first team All-Conference picks Kelly Lyons and Denisha Thomas. Lyons, a rising junior, led the conference in points (49), goals scored (21) and game-winning goals (7) last season, while tying for fourth with seven assists.

Chestnut Hill enjoyed its best season as a member of the CACC last season, finishing 11-8-2 overall and 8-3-1 in conference play to finish third in the regular-season standings.  The Griffins were led by sophomore forward Lauren Riiff, who totaled 12 goals and two assists (26 points) en route to CACC Player of the Year accolades. Riiff was also selected to the Daktronics All-East Region team. Junior midfielder Tara Morey and sophomore defender Lauren Brown were named to the All-CACC second team and Seamus O’Connor was named the CACC Coach of the Year.

Wilmington rounds out the top five with 123 points after going 9-7-2 overall last season and 8-3-1 in conference action. The 2010 season commences on Thursday Sept. 2 with seven CACC teams opening their campaigns. The CACC Tournament will be held at Georgian Court on Nov. 1, 4 and 6 in Lakewood, N.J.

 

The 2010 CACC pre-season poll is listed below.        

 
 

CACC Women’s Soccer

2010 Preseason Poll

                                       

  School               2009 Records Points
1. Philadelphia (8) 13-5-3/10-2 CACC 160
2. Holy Family (1) 13-9-1/8-3-1 149
3. Georgian Court (3) 15-8/10-2 148
4. Chestnut Hill (1) 9-7-2/8-3-1 127
5. Wilmington 9-7-2/8-3-1 123
6. Dominican 9-6-4/7-2-3 98
7. Caldwell 6-11-1/6-5-1 93
8. Felician 6-9-2/4-5-2 81
9. Post 5-13/3-9 52
10. Concordia 4-11/3-8 48
11. Nyack 3-12-2/2-8-2 45
12. Goldey-Beacom 2-14/1-11 32
13. Bloomfield 3-13-1/1-10-1 27

                                                            ()-First Place Votes

 
 
 
 
 

The aim of Dominican University New York is to promote educational excellence, leadership, and service in an environment characterized by respect for the individual and concern for the community and its needs. Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, the university is an independent institution of higher learning, Catholic in origin and heritage. In the Dominican tradition, it fosters the active, shared pursuit of truth and embodies an ideal of education rooted in the values of reflective understanding and compassionate involvement.  Committed to building its programs upon a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, the university maintains a student-centered climate and serves a diverse community of students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The university empowers this community of learners to excel, lead and serve with integrity and to engage responsibly in the pursuit of a more just, ethical and sustainable world.  Dominican also sponsors 18 varsity intercollegiate sports that compete at the NCAA Division II level.  To learn more about Dominican University New York, please visit www.duny.edu.