CCC Preseason Poll Video
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Two-time defending Commonwealth Coast Conference Champion Roger Williams earned the top spot in the 2016 Commonwealth Coast Conference preseason women's soccer coaches' poll.
The Hawks, who finished 2015 with a 20-1-3 record (8-0-1 CCC), received 96 points in the poll, including six first-place selections. Voting was conducted by the league's 10 head women's soccer coaches.
Wentworth, coming off its finest season in program history, was picked to finish second this year, as the Leopards earned the other four first-place votes giving the Leopards 94 points.
The University of New England (75 points), Endicott (73), and 2015 CCC runner-up Gordon (53) took up the three, four, and five spots respectively. Salve Regina (52), Western New England (33), Curry (31), Eastern Nazarene (28), and Nichols (15) rounded out the poll in that order.
A season ago the Wentworth women's soccer program had its finest season in program history as the Leopards finished 17-3-2 overall and were 8-1 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play which was good for second place. Wentworth advanced to the semifinals of both the CCC and ECAC Tournaments and the squad broke program records for lowest goals against average (0.53) and shutouts (12).
With 21 letterwinners returning from last year's record-breaking season, the Leopards should be in a good position to compete for their first CCC title. Senior Mary Pastorelli (Whitesboro, N.Y.), the reigning CCC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-New England selection, helps to anchor a stingy defense which allowed just 12 goals in 22 contests. Pastorelli also has three goals and an assist. Classmate Morgan Miller (Schenectady, N.Y.), who like Pastorelli was a first team All-CCC selection and named All-New England a season ago, returns to patrol the midfield for the Black & Gold and had a career-best seven points as a junior. Sophomore Madyson Reno (Simi Valley, Calif.), the 2015 CCC Rookie of the Year, led Wentworth with eight goals scored last season and her 18 points ranked her second on the team. Classmate Micaela Robinson (Goshen, N.Y.) had a solid rookie campaign in net as she set single-season program records for goals against average (0.55) and wins (15), en route to being named All-CCC.
The women's soccer season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 1 with nine of the 10 CCC teams participating in non-conference contests, including Albertus Magnus traveling to the Leopards for a 7:00 p.m. start. The Conference schedule begins on Sept. 10. The top eight teams in the 2016 regular season conference standings will qualify for the CCC Tournament, which starts with the quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 29 and concludes with the Conference Championship a week later on Nov. 5.
