BOSTON — After winning its first America East title in program history last year, the New Hampshire Wildcats have been picked as the favorite in the 2015 women's soccer preseason coaches' poll, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon. The voting was conducted by the conference’s nine head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
The Wildcats received seven first-place votes and 63 total points to top the poll. Hartford, which has reached two of the last three America East title games, followed in second with 52 points, with UMBC close behind in third with 50 points. Albany grabbed fourth with 39 points, followed by Maine in fifth with 38 points and Stony Brook in sixth with 31. Binghamton took the seventh spot (23 points), while UMass Lowell and Vermont rounded out the poll in a tie for eighth with 14 points apiece.
The 2015 women's soccer season begins on Friday, August 21. Here is the full poll:
2015 Preseason Poll (1st-place votes)
1. New Hampshire (7), 63 pts.
2. Hartford (1), 52
3. UMBC (1), 50
4. Albany, 39
5. Maine, 38
6. Stony Brook, 31
7. Binghamton, 23
T8. UMass Lowell, 14
T8. Vermont, 14
Preview each of the teams below --
1. New Hampshire Wildcats
2014 record: 8-9-4, 4-2-2, AE Champion (T-2nd)
- New Hampshire won its first conference tournament title in program history in 2014 after finishing tied for second in the conference standings.
- Goalkeeper Mimi Borkan returns to lead the defensive effort. The junior was named the America East Championship Most Outstanding Player and finished with an .835 save percentage in 2014.
- Sophomore Brooke Murphy was an All-Rookie Team selection in 2014 after finishing second in the conference with 11 goals.
2. Hartford Hawks
2014 record: 10-4-5, 5-1-2, AE Runner-Up (1st)
- Hartford won its first regular-season title since 2006.
- The Hawks fell to New Hampshire in the America East title game, reaching the final for the second time in three years.
- Hartford will have to replace 2014 America East Striker of the Year, Chanel Johnson, who led the conference with 12 goals.
3. UMBC Retrievers
2014 record: 12-4-3, 4-2-2, AE Semifinals (T-2nd)
- After going winless in its first three conference games last year, UMBC rattled off four-straight wins to finish tied for second in the league table.
- UMBC had its best non-conference record in program history at 8-2-0.
- The Retrievers will have to replace 2014 America East Midfielder of the Year, Jessy Brown, who led the team with seven goals and was second with five assists.
4. Albany Great Danes
2014 record: 7-9-5, 3-2-3, AE Semifinals (4th)
- Caitlin Cucchiella led Albany to a big turnaround in 2014 as the team hosted a quarterfinal tournament game after finishing fourth. The team reached the semifinals before falling to Hartford.
- The Great Danes return America East Rookie of the Year in Vivian Vega who totaled nine goals and five assists.
- Albany led the conference with 35 goals, averaging 1.67 per game.
5. Maine Black Bears
2014 record: 4-8-6, 2-1-5, AE Quarterfinals, (5th)
- Maine finished fifth in the conference standings last season and was picked to finish in that same spot this season.
- Claudia Dube-Trempe was the 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year, finishing with a 0.80 goals against average.
- Leading scorer Charlene Achille also returns. She tallied six goals in 2014.
6. Stony Brook Seawolves
2014 record: 5-10-2, 2-4-2, DNQ (7th)
- Stony Brook failed to qualify for the America East Championship after winning the 2012 tournament title and reaching the finals in 2013.
- Tessa Devereaux is back for the Seawolves after leading the team with 11 points, including seven assists.
7. Binghamton Bearcats
2014 record: 7-9-3, 3-3-2, AE Quarterfinals (6th)
- Binghamton played eight overtime games in 2014, finishing 3-2-3 in those contests.
- Second Team All-Conference forward, Katherine Corcoran, returns to lead the Bearcat offense.
- The Bearcats fell in the America East Quarterfinals in penalty kicks against eventual champion New Hampshire.
t8. UMass Lowell River Hawks
2014 record: 5-13-1, 2-5-1, DNQ, (8th)
- Head coach Joel Bancroft enters his second season as head coach of the River Hawks. He helped the squad to a four-win turnaround from 2013 as the team continues to transition to Division I.
- Midfielder Shannon Groffie returns for the River Hawks after leading the team with nine points in 2014 to be named to the All-Rookie team.
t8. Vermont Catamounts
2014 record: 3-12-2, 1-6-1, DNQ, (9th)
- The Catamounts bring back All-Rookie selection Sarah Martin, who led the team and ranked seventh in the conference with 14 points.
- Vermont lost just two seniors from its 2014 squad while returning 22 letterwinners.