Conference

WALNUT CREEK – Three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s soccer teams will begin the 2010 campaign with national Top 25 rankings beside their names after the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its preseason poll on Tuesday.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, which finished as 2009 NCAA runner-up, is ranked No. 4, while defending CCAA champion Cal State L.A. is No. 14 and UC San Diego is No. 20.

All three teams competed in the 2009 NCAA Far West Regional tournament a year ago, which was won by Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Toros topped Cal State L.A., 2-1, to claim the regional title.

Cal State Dominguez Hills advanced to the national championship match where it fell 1-0 to Grand Valley State.

Grand Valley State will begin defense of its national championship as the No. 1 team in the country after earning the top spot in the poll. West Florida (21-0-1) is ranked second and followed by Saint Rose (N.Y.), Cal State Dominguez Hills and Carson-Newman (Tenn.).

Cal State Dominguez Hills head coach Joe Flanagan welcomes back 10 of 11 starters from a year ago, including All-Americans Jessica Murphy and Paige Peel.

Murphy concluded 2009 second in the CCAA with 36 points after scoring a conference-high 15 goals and contributing six assists.  Peel is a standout defender.

Cal State L.A. is coming off a 17-3-2 season that included its first-ever CCAA championship. Conference Coach of the Year Chris Chamides welcomes back 14 returning players, including seven starters, and five who earned postseason honors in 2009.
 
Leading the list of returnees is senior forward/midfielder Liz Franco, who became the Golden Eagles’ all-time leading scorer. Franco’s list of honors included CCAA Offensive Player of the Year, Daktronics West Region Player of the Year and NSCAA third team All-American recognition. She finished her junior campaign with a conference-leading 43 points after scoring 13 goals and adding 17 assists.

UC San Diego is coming off a 15-5-2 season and 24th-year head coach Brian McManus welcomes back his entire starting line-up from a year ago, including senior All-American defender Lisa Bradley. The roster also includes five players – Kristin Armstrong, Sarah McTigue, Anne Wethe and Jessica Wi – who were named to the NSCAA All-West Region First Team.

CCAA teams kick off their 2010 seasons on Thursday, Sept. 2, with a full slate of non-conference contests and league play gets underway on Friday, Sept. 11. The CCAA Tournament is scheduled for Oct. 5-7 on the campus of Cal State Stanislaus.

The 2010 CCAA preseason coaches poll will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 18.
 

2010 NSCAA Preseason Top 25 Poll