August 21, 2012

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August 21, 2012

Defending national champion Golden Knights have
posted best conference record for six straight years

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – The College of Saint Rose received 14 first-place votes and 224 points overall to claim the top spot in the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Poll, it was announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

Saint Rose, which defeated Grand Valley State University, 2-1, last December to win the Division II national championship, went 24-1-1 overall last season and 13-1-1 in Northeast-10 play. This fall, the Golden Knights will seek their seventh regular season title in as many seasons and have also won five straight Northeast-10 Championships.

Saint Rose, after outscoring opponents 47-9 last season, returns three of its top five goal scorers from a year ago, including junior Carmelina Puopolo (pictured), who was named the 2011 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Player of the Year.

Merrimack College (16-4-2, 11-2-1 NE-10) finished second in the poll with 201 points, while the University of Massachusetts Lowell (11-6-4, 10-3-2 NE-10) came in third with 201 points. Both programs earned NCAA Tournament berths last year.

Southern Connecticut State University (10-5-3, 8-4-3 NE-10) finished fourth with 173 points and one first-place vote, followed by Franklin Pierce University (6-8-3, 4-8-3 NE-10) in fifth with 164 points and Southern New Hampshire University (10-8-2, 7-6-2 NE-10) in sixth with 158 points. So. New Hampshire also received one first-place vote.

Rounding out the top 10 was Stonehill College (11-7-2, 8-5-2 NE-10) with 129 points, Adelphi University (8-8-1, 7-7-1 NE-10) with 128 points, American International College (7-9-2, 6-7-2 NE-10) with 125 points and the University of New Haven (9-8, 7-8 NE-10) with 98 points.

The remainder of the poll included Pace University (8-9-1, 7-6-1 NE-10) with 87 points, Saint Anselm College (3-10-4, 3-8-4 NE-10) with 63 points, Saint Michael’s College (6-10-1, 5-9-1 NE-10) with 60 points, Bentley University (6-10-2, 5-8-2 NE-10) with 53 points, Le Moyne College (4-13, 3-12 NE-10) with 38 points, and Assumption College (4-12-1, 2-12-1 NE-10) with 27 points.

To view the complete poll results, please see below.

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

2012 Northeast-10 Women’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Saint Rose – 224 (14)
2. Merrimack – 201
3. UMass Lowell – 192
4. Southern Connecticut – 173 (1)
5. Franklin Pierce – 164
6. Southern New Hampshire – 158 (1)
7. Stonehill – 129
8. Adelphi – 128
9. American International – 125
10. New Haven – 98
11. Pace – 87
12. Saint Anselm – 63
13. Saint Michael’s – 60
14. Bentley – 53
15. Le Moyne – 38
16. Assumption – 27

( ) -  first-place votes in parentheses

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