BOSTON – Reigning #AEWSOC Champion Maine took the top spot in the Preseason Poll, while the conference also released its inaugural #AEWSOC Preseason All-Conference Team on Monday afternoon.
The Black Bears were a unanimous selection to repeat as league champions, taking all eight possible first place votes and totaling 64 points. Binghamton was second with 52 points and the final first place vote, while New Hampshire had 50 points to round out the top three. UMass Lowell was fourth with 42 points while Vermont was fifth with 40.
Maine also had an America East high four players selected as Preseason All-Conference, followed by Vermont with three honorees. The Black Bears return four All-Region selections, highlighted by Second-Team All-American and #AEWSOC Striker of the Year Abby Kraemer. In total, six different schools had at least one honorees.
Women’s Preseason Poll
| Pl. |
School |
Pts (1st) |
| 1. |
Maine |
64 (8) |
| 2. |
Binghamton |
52 (1) |
| 3. |
New Hampshire |
50 |
| 4. |
UMass Lowell |
42 |
| 5. |
Vermont |
40 |
| 6. |
NJIT |
26 |
| T7. |
UAlbany |
19 |
| T7. |
Bryant |
19 |
| 9. |
UMBC |
12 |
Women’s Preseason All-Conference
| F |
Briana Andreoli (NJIT) |
| F |
Kate Bossert (Vermont) |
| F |
Calliste Brookshire (UMass Lowell) |
| F |
Abby Kraemer (Maine) |
| M |
Bailey Ayer (Vermont |
| M |
Kristina Kelly (Maine) |
| M |
Lara Kirkby (Maine) |
| D |
Maddy Cronin (Vermont) |
| D |
Brooke Herber (Binghamton) |
| D |
Myla Schneider (Maine) |
| GK |
Sally Rainey (New Hampshire) |
Need to Know:
- Maine captured the program’s first league title in 2023 and return four all-region selections from that team. All four were named Preseason All-Conference: Abby Kraemer, Kristina Kelly, Lara Kirkby and Myla Schneider.
- Abby Kraemer was also a Second-Team All-American in 2023 after leading the league in point (30) and goals (13).
- Binghamton was second in the poll with 52 points after claiming its second straight regular season title in 2023 and advancing to the #AEWSOC Semifinals.
- New Hampshire was selected third with 50 points and returns Preseason All-Conference selection Sally Rainey, the reigning #AEWSOC Goalkeeper of the Year.
- UMass Lowell earned the fourth spot in the poll with 42 points after reaching last year’s #AEWSOC Championship and pushing the contest to overtime.
- Vermont had three players named Preseason All-Conference and was selected fifth. Kate Bossert finished second in the league last year in both points (22) and goals (10).
- NJIT was picked sixth in the preseason poll and is led by returning First-Team All-Conference selection Briana Andreoli.
The 2024 season begins on Thursday, Aug. 15 with four teams in action. Maine begins on the road at Le Moyne, while NJIT hosts Rutgers in a battle for New Jersey. UNH and UMass Lowell are also in action. UAlbany and Vermont follow with contests on Aug. 17, while Binghamton, Bryant and UMBC begin their seasons on Aug. 18.
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.
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