Monmouth Named Preseason Favorite in MAAC Women's Soccer Coaches Poll; McTamney Named Preseason Player of the Year
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – The three-time defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women’s soccer regular season champions, Monmouth University, was selected as the preseason favorite in 2016 while senior forward Alexis McTamney was voted as the Preseason Player of the Year, as voted by the league’s eleven head coaches. Monmouth earned 119 points with 10 first place votes, followed by defending MAAC champion, Siena College, which earned 98 points. Rider University finished just behind the Saints with 96 points, earning the remaining first place vote.
Monmouth finished the 2015 season with a 13-3-2 overall record and a 9-1 league mark in the MAAC to claim the outright regular season crown for the third consecutive year and 10th straight season with double-digit victories. Monmouth also entered the top-10 of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Region poll at the conclusion of the 2015 regular season. The Hawks fell short of a conference championship title, falling in the semifinal round to the eventual champion for the second year in a row at the 2015 MAAC Championships. Monmouth garnered nine all-league members in 2015 and earned one major award. Of those nine players, five return to the field in 2016, led by McTamney and classmates, Rachel Ivanicki and Julie Spracklin.
2015 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, McTamney, was named the 2016 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. In 2015, the senior forward from Bordentown, New Jersey, was the only player in the conference to rank in the top five in points (4th, 22), points per game (4th, 1.22), goals (T5th, 8), assists (T4th, 6), and assists per game (T4th, 0.33). McTamney also recorded three game-winning goals, with two coming in league play last season. She was named to the All-MAAC First Team for the third straight year during 2015 and earned a spot on the 2015 All-Championship Team.
The 2015 MAAC Champions, Siena College, finished second in the poll with 98 votes. The Saints finished the 2015 MAAC regular season with a 5-4-1 mark and an overall season record of 12-7-3. Siena claimed its second MAAC title in program history (2010) in historic fashion, becoming the league’s first ever sixth seed to win the women’s soccer championship and scoring the most goals in the title contest with its five goals in the 5-2 victory.
Finishing a close third in the poll was Rider with 96 points and the remaining first place vote. The Broncs finished the 2015 campaign with a 10-7-1 overall record and 6-3-1 MAAC mark. Rider finished the regular season with a perfect 6-0 home record with all six wins coming by way of shutouts and added a quarterfinal MAAC win at home to improve its home record to a program-best 7-0 in 2015.
2015 MAAC Championship runner-up, Manhattan College, finished fourth in the poll with 86 points, followed by Marist College with 71 points to round out the top five. Niagara University and Quinnipiac University tied for sixth place in the poll, each receiving 62 votes, while Fairfield University finished four points behind with 58 points, good for seventh. In eighth was Canisius College with 35 points, while Iona College finished in ninth with 27 tallies, and Saint Peter’s University closed out the poll with 12 points.
Joining McTamney on the Preseason All-MAAC lineup at the forward position was Erica Modena of Manhattan and 2015 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Nadya Gill from Quinnipiac. At midfield are Manhattan’s Nicole Copping, Marist’s Hope Quinonez, Rider’s Hollie Kelsh and Siena’s Madison Vasquez. 2015 Defensive Player of the Year, Jenny Bitzer from Manhattan, Julie Spracklin of Monmouth, Meghan McCabe from Rider, and Siena’s Tara Sobierajski make up the backs. The goalkeeper was Bethany-May Howard of Rider.
For all up-to-date information on women’s soccer, visit maacsports.com and for championship information, visit maacsports.com/womenssoccer.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
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1.
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Monmouth (10)
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119
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2.
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Siena
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98
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3.
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Rider (1)
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96
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4.
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Manhattan
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86
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5.
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Marist
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71
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T6.
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Niagara
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62
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T6.
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Quinnipiac
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62
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8.
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Fairfield
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58
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9.
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Canisius
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35
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10.
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Iona
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27
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11.
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Saint Peter’s
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12
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Preseason All-MAAC Team
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Erica Modena
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Forward
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Manhattan
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Alexis McTamney
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Forward
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Monmouth
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Nadya Gill
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Forward
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Quinnipiac
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Nicole Copping
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Midfield
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Manhattan
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Hope Quinonez
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Midfield
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Marist
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Hollie Kelsh
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Midfield
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Rider
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Madison Vasquez
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Midfield
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Siena
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Jenny Bitzer
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Back
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Manhattan
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Julie Spracklin
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Back
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Monmouth
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Meghan McCabe
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Back
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Rider
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Tara Sobierajski
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Back
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Siena
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Bethany-May Howard
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Goalkeeper
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Rider
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Preseason Player of the Year