COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Wyoming women's soccer
team was picked fifth in the preseason Mountain West Coaches' Poll, the
conference announced Wednesday.
San Diego State once
again sits atop the preseason poll with 110 total points, despite receiving
only three first-place votes. Last season the Aztecs finished third with a
6-2-3 record. San Jose State garnered 108 points and the same amount of top
votes to place second. Conference champion UNLV received the most first-place
votes but came in third in the poll with 101 total points. Utah State was
picked fourth, the spot the Aggies finished in during the 2016 season. The
Cowgirls landed in fifth in the poll, also matching their 2016 finish. Just
behind Wyoming are Fresno State and Boise State in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Colorado College and Air Force round out the top 10. Colorado State was picked
to finish 11th while the Nevada Wolfpack were selected last.
“It’s about where I expected
us to be. We have higher goals than that and we hope to achieve those, but we
have to go out there and prove it,” head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “Let’s face
it, the teams at the top have been there the last few years and we’ve been
right outside of that. If we want to be included in that group, we have to make
sure we earn it on the field. We have the opportunity to do that this season
and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Wyoming returns the majority of
its starters and goal scoring from last season’s squad that finished the year
10-8-2 and 6-4-1 in the MW, logging a third-straight 10-win season for the
first time in program history. Sophomore forward Michaela Stark led UW last
season with six goals and earned a spot on the MW All-Newcomer team. This
season’s team will be captained by a trio of seniors, including goalkeeper
Georgia Rowntree, defender Claire Parker and forward Alisha Bass. All three
started every game last year for the Cowgirls. Bass recorded three goals and
four assists, while Parker and Rowntree anchored one of the strongest defenses
in the conference. Rowntree’s eight shutouts were tied for the most among MW
goalkeepers. Senior Summer Halle and sophomore Brooklynn Mooney will lead the
group of midfielders, and also bring back a wealth of experience. Both played
in all 20 games last season, and Halle netted three goals while Mooney scored
one goal.
Wyoming fans will get the
opportunity to see the Cowgirls 10 times at home in 2017, beginning with a
matchup with Southern Utah on Aug. 25 at 5 p.m .MT. Other non-conference games
at Louis S. Madrid include rematches of last season with UTEP (Sept. 1),
Northern Colorado (Sept. 10) and Idaho State (Sept. 14). Five MW games will
also be played at home, with weekend slates against Fresno State (Sept. 29) and
San Jose State (Oct. 1), followed by Utah State (Oct. 13) and Boise State (Oct.
15). The final home match of the regular season will be on Oct. 22 against New
Mexico.
On Friday, the
Cowgirls will travel to Hastings, Neb. for an exhibition match against South
Dakota State. Kick-off from Lloyd Wilson Field is slated for 5 p.m. MT.
2017 MW PRESEASON
WOMEN’S SOCCER COACHES’ POLL
Pl.
Team (1st place votes)
Points
1. San Diego State
(3) 110
2.
San José State
(3) 108
3.
UNLV
(5) 101
4.
Utah State (1)
97
5.
Wyoming
70
6.
Fresno
State 66
7.
Boise
State 64
8.
New
Mexico 61
9.
Colorado
College 43
10.
Air
Force 37
11.
Colorado
State 20
12.
Nevada 15
