Castleton & Colby-Sawyer Headline 2016 NAC Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Castleton University and Colby-Sawyer College tied for the top spot in the 2016 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) women's soccer preseason poll. Both the Spartans and Chargers received 93 points, with Castleton receiving five first place votes and Colby-Sawyer earning four.
Maine Maritime Academy was selected third after claiming 72 points, while New England College took fourth with 71 points and Husson claimed fifth with 64 points after receiving the final first place vote. Rounding out the poll were the University of Maine at Farmington in sixth (52 points), Thomas College in seventh (41 points), Johnson State College in eighth (32 points), Lyndon State College in ninth (21 points), and Green Mountain College in 10th (11 points).
Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's soccer coaches.
The 2015 NAC Tournament saw the top six teams in the 2016 poll compete for the NAC title. The top seeds held through the quarterfinals as No. 4 New England College defeated No. 5 UMF 5-1 and No. 3 Maine Maritime earned a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Husson. The semifinals produced an upset as NEC claimed a 3-1 win over top-seeded Castleton, while No. 2 Colby-Sawyer and Maine Maritime needed 98 minutes to decide a winner, as the Chargers walked away with a 1-0 victory. The 2015 tightly contested title match went to Colby-Sawyer after a 1-0 final over New England College.
After claiming the teams third-consecutive conference championship, the Chargers saw their season come to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Colby-Sawyer fell to No. 16 ranked Amherst, as the Purple & White scored the lone goal of the match in the 80th minute to advance.
2016 NAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team | Points (First Place Votes) | |
T1. | Castleton | 93 (5) |
T1. | Colby-Sawyer | 93 (4) |
3. | Maine Maritime | 72 |
4. | New England College | 71 |
5. | Husson | 64 (1) |
6. | UMaine-Farmington | 52 |
7. | Thomas | 41 |
8. | Johnson State | 32 |
9. | Lyndon | 21 |
10. | Green Mountain | 11 |
The 2016 NAC women's soccer campaign kicks off with all ten teams in action next week. The top six teams in the 2016 regular-season conference standings will qualify for the NAC tournament, which gets underway Sunday, October 30, with quarterfinal action between seeds 3-6. The top two seeds will earn a bye in the first round and will take on the two quarterfinal winners in the semifinals on Wednesday, November 2. The two semifinal victors will battle for the NAC championship on Saturday, November 5.
Click HERE to view the 2016 NAC Women's Soccer composite schedule.
Click HERE to view the 2016 NAC Women's Soccer conference only schedule.
2016 NAC Women's Soccer Previews
For more information on each team, click the school name to be directed to the women's soccer section of each school's website.
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T1. Colby-Sawyer (13-4-2, 8-1 NAC) will be led by fifth-year head coach Meghan Medbery, as the Chargers will look to make it to the NAC tournament for a sixth-straight season. Medbery returns first team All-NAC honorees junior Corrie Hoyt (Lebanon, Conn.), senior Kelsey Campbell (Upton, Mass.) and senior Rachel Quaye (Westminster, Mass.; pictured right). Quaye led the Chargers with 19 points on eight goals, which included a team best four game-winners, and three assists. In addition, second team All-NAC recipients junior Emily Martin (Amesbury, Mass.) and sophomore Abbie Sansoucy (Douglas, Mass.) will provide the Chargers with experience in the starting lineup. |
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5. Husson (8-10-1, 4-5 NAC) will be led by Amanda Cummings, who enters her second season as the head coach and third year on the staff in 2016. The Eagles return 20 players from last year's team including three of the team's top five scorers in 2015 including Leah Hibbad (Portsmouth, R.I.; pictured right), a 2015 All-NAC second team selection, Taylor Fortin (Goffstown, N.H.) and Hannah Clough (Mount Vernon, Maine). Husson will look to capture their first NAC Championship since 2009 with the talent and depth of the 2016 squad. |
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6. UMaine-Farmington (7-10-1, 4-4-1 NAC) will try to carry late momentum from last season into 2016 as the Beavers won five of their last seven final regular season games. Molly Wilkie enters her ninth season at the helm of UMF women's soccer and blends a mix of veteran leadership with a solid group of young players. UMF returns its veteran leader in senior Katie Clark (Westbrook, Maine; pictured right). Fellow senior Bridget Humphrey (Jefferson, Maine) will join Clark and the Beavers' offense after ranking second on the team in goals scored last season. Junior goalkeeper Kiana Thompson (Industry, Maine) and sophomore Lydia Roy (Waterville, Maine) will also add a balanced attack for UMF. The Beavers will have quality non-conference opponents visit Leib Field, including Southern Maine, St. Joseph's, and Colby. UMaine-Farmington opens the season on September 3 at home against Wellesley. |
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10. Green Mountain (2-14, 0-9 NAC) will be led by Dave Morris who enters his first season as the Eagles' head coach. Green Mountain will see just five players return from the 2015 squad after a large graduating class. Seniors Casie Sharp (Newbury, Mass.; pictured right) and Brianna Alimonti (Revere, Mass.) will lead the Eagles into play this fall. Sharp will provide leadership along the backline, while Alimonti will instill a brand of toughness through her play in the midfield. Key contributions are also expected of returning sophomores Kali DeMarco (Mechanicville, N.Y.), Shanaya Earle (North Clarendon, Vt.) and Suzanna Moses (Strafford, Vt.). The team will be buoyed by a host of incoming players, both freshmen and transfers as coach Morris looks to imprint his style of play onto the Eagles. |
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