Women's Soccer tabbed second in NACC Preseason Poll
WAUKESHA, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin's Women's Soccer team was selected to finish second in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, according to the preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
CUW (15-4-1, 10-2-0 in 2012) earned 252 poll points. The Falcons return plenty of scoring this fall, including a sophomore trio that combined for 94 points (32 G, 30 A) last season. The three returning sophomores for CUW are 2012 NAC Freshman of the Year Brittany Klumpp (Rubicon, Wis.), and Second Team All-NAC selections Emily Ciesielczyk (Waukesha, Wis.) and Carley Pfannerstill (Grafton, Wis.).
The Falcons placed third last season after going 10-2-0 with their only losses coming against league champion Aurora University and runner-up, Edgewood College. The 15 regular season wins for CUW in 2012 tied a program-record for most wins in a season.
Aurora was a unanimous choice to win the NACC as they received all 24 first-place votes for 288 poll points. The seven-time defending regular season champion has also won the conference tournament six of seven years, including four in a row.
Edgewood comes in after the Falcons as they earned 231 votes for third place, while Marian University was slotted in fourth with 219 points. MSOE came in fifth with 201 points and Dominican University rounded out the top six, earning 172 points.
Last season the Falcons exceeded the poll's expectations as they were picked for a fifth-place finish. Aurora was chosen to win the league in 2012.
The Falcons will open their 2013 schedule next Friday, August 30 when they visit UW-Stout in a non-conference match beginning at 7 p.m. CUW will open conference play September 21 with a trip to Dominican.
The first conference match of the season is set for Wednesday, September 11 when Benedictine University visits league favorite Aurora. Most teams will begin NACC play September 21. The top six teams from the regular season advance to the NACC Tournament, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
2013 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' and SIDs' Poll
1. Aurora University (24), 288
2. Concordia University Wisconsin, 252
3. Edgewood College, 231
4. Marian University, 219
5. MSOE, 201
6. Dominican University, 172
7. Concordia University Chicago, 133
8. Benedictine University, 114
9. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 113
10. Alverno College, 68
11. Lakeland College, 56
12. Rockford College, 25
