CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2019 American Rivers Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2019 American Rivers Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2018 Record |
| 1. |
Loras (7) |
63 |
17-4, 7-1 Conference (Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion) |
| 2. |
Wartburg (2) |
58 |
13-6-1, 6-1-1 Conference |
| 3. |
Dubuque |
46 |
14-4-1, 5-2-1 Conference |
| 4. |
Luther |
41 |
7-8-3, 6-2 Conference |
| 5. |
Coe |
37 |
10-8-1, 3-5 Conference |
| 6. |
Central |
34 |
10-7-1, 4-4 Conference |
| 7. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
21 |
8-8, 2-6 Conference |
| 8. |
Simpson |
16 |
4-12, 2-6 Conference |
| 9. |
Buena Vista |
8 |
1-14, 0-8 Conference |
The Loras College Duhawks, 2018 conference regular season and tournament champions, are the coaches' choice to win the 2019 American Rivers Conference Women's Soccer title. Loras was chosen first on seven ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 63 points to take the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Preseason Poll. 2018 conference runner-up, Wartburg College was picked second, receiving 58 points and two first-place votes. Dubuque earned 46 points to take third in the poll and the Luther Norse garnered 41 points as the coaches' pick for fourth-place. Coming in as the fifth-place selection was Coe, with 37 points. Central College round out the top six with 34 points. If the preseason poll determined a berth to the conference tournament, these six teams would make up the field. Nebraska Wesleyan in seventh, Simpson in eighth, and Buena Vista in ninth will look to climb their way into this year's conference tournament field.
United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll: Loras College is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Women's Soccer Top 25 Preseason Poll.
New Coaches:
Benton Frayne, Buena Vista University. Frayne earned a masters of arts degree in sports management from Minnesota State University and a bachelor of science degree in recreation and tourism from Winona State University. Prior to assuming his new role, Frayne served as the assistant women's soccer coach at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., since 2015.
The Schedule: Buena Vista, Coe, Dubuque, Luther, Nebraska Wesleyan, Simpson, and Wartburg kick off the 2019 season on Friday, August 30. The Beavers are set to host Martin Luther out of the UMAC and Coe travels to the MIAA's Alma College (Mich.)The Midwest Conference's Grinnell College will travel to the University of Dubuque and Luther will heads to the east coast for a match-up with Virginia Wesleyan out of the ODAC. The Prairie Wolves open the season with a neutral site match against Wisconsin Lutheran. The two will play in Pella, Iowa. Simpson travels south to face the SLIAC's Westminster College (Mo.) and Wartburg will play host to the MIAC's Macalester for game one of 2019. Saturday, August 31 will see the league's final two teams take the pitch for the start of the 2019 season. Central will host Wisconsin Lutheran out of the NACC, Loras hosting the MIAC's Macalester.
The eight-game round robin American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Saturday, September 28 with four games. Simpson will host Wartburg for the opening of league play, while Central will travel to Decorah for a match-up with Luther. Dubuque makes the trip to Storm Lake to kick off conference play against Buena Vista and Loras is set to host Coe. Nebraska Wesleyan debuts in league action on Saturday, October 5 with a road trip to Dubuque.
Conference Tournament: At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the top six teams move onto the 2019 Conference Tournament. The tournament begins Saturday, November 2nd with the 4/5 seeds and the 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher seeded home pitch. On Wednesday, November 6th the winner of the 4/5 opening round game will travel to the No.1 seed, while the 3/6 winner will make the trip to the No. 2 seed. The semifinal winners will face-off on Saturday, November 9th (at higher seed home venue) for the tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
| 1st |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Matt Pucci (4th season, 44-10-6)
2018 Record: 17-4 overall, 7-1 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion
2018 NCAA Tournament: First Round - defeated Adrian 1-0, Regional Final - lost to Wheaton 2-1
Returning All-Conference: Jenny Wick (2018 First-Team, MF, Sr.) Brynn Jacobi (2018 First-Team, 2017 Honorable Mention, MF, Jr.) Kiki Cabrera (2018 First-Team, MF, Jr.)
Starters Returning: 9
Starters Lost: 2
Matt Pucci - “Should be another extremely competitive and exciting season for the American Rivers Conference.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Jenny Wick - MF (Sr.) |
6-goals // 8-assists // .525-SOG% // 3-game winners |
| Brynn Jacobi - MF (Jr.) |
20-20 games started // 10-goals // .559-SOG% // 5-game winners |
| Kiki Cabrera - MF/F (Jr.) |
6-goals // 5-assists // .512-SOG% |
| 2nd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Tiffany Pins (9th season, 95-46-23)
2018 Record: 13-6-1 overall, 6-1-1 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 2nd
2018 NCAA Tournament: First Round - lost to UW-La Crosse 2-0
Returning All-Conference: Zoey Campbell (2018 Defensive MVP, 2017, 2016 Honorable Mention, D, Sr.), Marissa Lopez (2018 First-Team, GK, So.), Emily Fontana (2018 Honorable Mention, M, Sr.), Hailey Osburn (2018 Honorable Mention, D, So.)
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Tiffany Pins - “We are excited for the 2019 season. The conference will be strong from top to bottom. We are looking forward to a competitive conference season.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Zoey Campbell - D (Sr.) |
16-18 games started // 1362 minutes played // .759-GGA |
| Marissa Lopez - GK (So.) |
9-4-1 // .86-GAA // 4.1-shutouts |
| Emily Fontana - M (Sr.) |
20-20 games started // 1-goal // 3-assists |
| Hailey Osburn - D (So.) |
20-20 games started // 2-goals // 1-assist // .556-SOG% |
| 3rd |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Jason Berna (19th season, 192-132-25)
2018 Record: 14-4-1 overall, 5-2-1 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 4th
Returning All-Conference: Carissa Brown (2018 First-Team, 2017 Defensive MVP, D, Jr.), Alexa Martin (2018, 2017 First-Team, 2016 Honorable Mention, D, Sr.), Victoria Roethler (2017 First-Team, 2018 Honorable Mention, GK, JR.), Amanda Chlebek (2017 Honorable Mention, MF, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Jason Berna - “Should be another exciting year in the American Rivers Conference with a bunch of very competitive teams in our league.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Carissa Brown - D (Jr.) |
19-19 games started // 1-goal // 1642 minutes played |
| Alexa Martin - D (Sr.) |
2-goals // 5-assists // .613-SOG% |
| Victoria Roethler - GK (Jr.) |
12-4-1 // .950-GAA // 4.2-shutouts |
| Amanda Chlebek - MF (Sr.) |
19-19 games started // 3-goals // 1-assist |
| 4th |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Russ Shouweiler (9th season, 90-67-12)
2018 Record: 7-8-3 overall, 6-2-0 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 3rd
Returning All-Conference: Kennedy Bergren (2018 First-Team, GK, Jr.), Maggie Anderson (2017 First-Team, MF, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 5
Russ Shouweiler - “The American Rivers Conference has proved to be the strongest in the region the past few years. We expect that to remain the same this season. We are looking forward to another hard fought and challenging conference season.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Maggie Anderson - MF (Sr.) |
18-18 games started // 1-goal // 1-assist // 1-game winner |
| Lizzy DePrenger - MF (Sr. |
18-18 games started // 2-goals // 1-assist |
| Kennedy Bergren - GK (Jr.) |
1.00-GAA // 7-shutouts |
| McKenzie Lundquist - MF (Sr.) |
1-goal // 1-assist // .400-SOG% |
| Hailey Sanchez - ST (Sr.) |
1-goal // 1-game winner |
| 5th |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Michael Prunty (3rd Season, 22-12-4)
2018 Record: 10-8-1 overall, 3-5 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 6th
Returning All-Conference: Sydney Schroder (2018, 2017 First-Team, F, Jr.), Lizzy Ward (2017 First-Team, D, Sr.), Morgan Petsche (2017 Honorable Mention, MF, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 5
Michael Prunty - “2019 will be another competitive season in the A-R-C. Excited to see our growth as a program against another strong schedule.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Sydney Schroder - F (Jr.) |
13-goals // 5-assists // 31-points // 3-game winners |
| Morgan Petsche - MF (Sr.) |
17-19 games started // 2-goals // 3-assists |
| Lizzy Ward - D (Sr.) |
17-19 games started // 1596 minutes played |
| 6th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Mike Kobylinksi (9th season, 93-42-16)
2018 Record: 10-7-1 overall, 4-4 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 5th
Returning All-Conference: Erin Manion (2018, 2017, 2016 First-Team, F, Sr.), Elise Askelsen (2017 Honorable Mention, MF, Sr.), Taylor Golt (2017 Honorable Mention, GK, Jr.)
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 7
Mike Kobylinksi - “We are excited to see what 2019 will bring for us as a program. The conference will be as competitive as ever and we are looking forward to the challenge.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Erin Manion - F (Sr.) |
12-goals // 7-assists // 31-points |
| Elise Askelsen - MF (Sr.) |
1-goal // 5-assists // .517-SOG% |
| Gabrielle Lillie - MF (Sr.) |
17 games played // .500-SOG% |
| Cate Christopherson - D (Jr.) |
2-goals // 1-assist // .600-SOG% |
| Mikaela Erickson - MF (Sr.) |
3-goals // 1-assist // .600-SOG% |
| 7th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Jen Dyson (2nd season, 8-8)
2018 Record: 8-8 overall, 2-6 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: Kaitlyn Sullivan (2018 First-Team, 2017, 2016 Honorable Mention, MF, Jr.), Laurel Heskett (2018 Honorable Mention, D, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 9
Starters Lost: 2
Jen Dyson - “We are looking forward to a great 2019 season and competing in the incredibly competitive American Rivers Conference.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Kaitlyn Sullivan- MF (Sr.) |
6-goals // 2-assists // 3-game winners |
| Olivia Munroe- F (So.) |
4-goals // 2-assists // .560-SOG% |
| Suzie McDonald- MF/D (Jr.) |
4-goals // 1-assist // .500-SOG% |
| Morgan Finley- D (So.) |
12-16 games started // 1-shot |
| Riley Kimbrough- D (So.) |
5-shots // 1.000-SOG% |
| 8th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Jeremy Reinert (2nd season, 4-12)
2018 Record: 4-12 overall, 2-6 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: t-7th
Returning All-Conference: Dani Marquez (2018, 2017 Honorable Mention, F, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 11
Starters Lost: 0
Jeremy Reinert - “We’re excited to see what the 2019 season has in store Simpson College Women’s Soccer. Our conference is full of talent, top to bottom, which should make things exciting as teams jockey for conference tournament seeding in late October.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
| Dani Marquez - F (Sr.) |
2-goals // 2-assists // .571-SOG% |
| Baileigh Nagy - F (So.) |
15-16 games started // 3-goals // 1-assist |
| Madisen Strecker - MF (Jr.) |
14-15 games started // 1-goal // 1-assist |
| Emma Fleddermann - D (Sr.) |
13-14 games started |
| 9th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Benton Frayne (1st season)
2018 Record: 1-14 overall, 0-8 Conference
2018 Conference Finish: 9th
Returning All-Conference: Ella Wiebusch (2017, 2016 Honorable Mention, D, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Benton Frayne - “Excited to be a part of a competitive conference. As a team we want to be a challenge for our opponents and make each game matter in conference standings.” |
| Players to Watch (Returners Only) |
|
| Ella Wiebusch - Center Back (Sr.) |
15-15 games started // 1238 minutes played |
| Kelsi Gajewsky - Center Back (Sr.) |
6-12 games started // 375 minutes played |
