BOSTON – Following one of the most competitive America East women's soccer seasons in recent history, UMass Lowell has been chosen the conference's preseason favorite ahead of the start of the 2022 season. The River Hawks led a tight grouping atop the poll, which was voted on by the league's head coaches and announced on Monday morning.
Four different teams received first-place votes in the poll, led by the River Hawks, who earned four of them and a total of 49 points to top the poll. Reigning league champion Vermont came in just one point behind with 58 points and earned three first-place tallies. Runners-up New Hampshire earned one first-place vote and 49 points while Binghamton garnered the final first-place vote and came in fourth with 42 points. Check out the full poll:
What to Watch For
- Among the River Hawks' returnees are a pair of America East major award winners from last season. Two-time Defender of the Year Dunja Mostarac and 2021 Striker and Rookie of the Year Ioanna Papatheodorou lead a veteran group for UMass Lowell.
- Vermont will look to build off its best season in program history. The Catamounts won their first-ever America East regular-season and tournament titles in 2021.
- Veteran goalkeeper Cat Sheppard leads a talented UNH team looking to build off of its America East Championship game appearance last season. The All-Championship selection has 45 CAPS in net.
- UAlbany is the lone program with a first-year head coach as Sade Ayinde takes over a program that has won three America East titles since 2015.
- Bryant begins its first season in America East. The Bulldogs placed fourth in the NEC a year ago and went 8-10 overall.
The season begins on Thursday, Aug. 18 with eight teams in action. America East newcomer Bryant will be the first to kick off against St. Peter's at 12 p.m. America East teams will face 10 squads that reached the NCAA tournament last year during non-conference play, highlighted by Vermont hosting #12 Auburn on August 28. The 36-game conference slate begins Sunday, Sept. 18 and concludes on Oct. 27. Full schedule
The 2022 #AEWSOC championship will consist of the league’s top six teams and begins with the quarterfinals scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 30. The higher seed will host each game throughout the postseason.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEWSOC contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEGameday Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East women’s lacrosse news all season long and use #AEWSOC to join the conversation.
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