Fredericksburg, Va. – The St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s soccer team was picked fourth in the 2018 Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, released Wednesday morning.
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St. Mary’s advanced to its third consecutive CAC Tournament semifinals under fifth-year head coach Peter Krech in 2017. The Seahawks are looking to extend the streak this fall as the team welcomes back eight starters, including All-CAC selections, senior goalkeeper Katie Flores (Towson, Md./Towson), senior midfielder Emily Huey (Pocomoke City, Md./Snow Hill), and sophomore Emmey German (Lutherville, Md./Towson). In addition, 10 newcomers are expected to make immediate contributions and push the veterans.
German paced St. Mary’s in scoring last fall as a rookie, notching six goals and 13 points, while Huey dished out a team-best three assists. Flores posted a .714 save percentage in five games a year ago. In addition, sophomore forward Alex Moody(Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional) will strengthen the Seahawks’ forward line after dropping five goals and 12 points as a first-year in 2017.
Two-time defending champion Christopher Newport University was tabbed as the unanimous favorite to three-peat in the 2018 CAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll. The Captains, who are ranked No. 17 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Preseason Rankings, received seven first-place votes and 49 points to run away with the top position in the voting.
St. Mary’s picked up 30 points after finishing 6-9-4 (4-3-2 CAC) last fall and advancing to the conference semifinals as the No. 4 seed.
The Seahawks will hit the road for their first two games of the 2018 campaign, heading south to Ashland, Va., to face Randolph-Macon College on Friday before traveling to Westminster, Md., to take on McDaniel College on Sunday.
The full preseason coaches’ poll is listed below with first-place votes in parenthesis.
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2018 CAC Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll |
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| 1. Christopher Newport |
49 points (7) |
| 2. Salisbury |
41 points |
| 3. Frostburg State |
37 points (1) |
| 4. St. Mary’s (Md.) |
30 points |
| 5. Mary Washington |
28 points |
| 6. York (Pa.) |
18 points |
| 7. Penn State Harrisburg |
12 points |
| 8. Southern Virginia |
9 points |
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