2018 ECC WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
Rank	School	Pts.	2017 Record
1	Mercy (5)	94	18-4-1, 7-1 ECC
2	LIU Post (2)	93	17-4-1, 7-1 ECC
3	Bridgeport (1)	78	8-8-2, 4-3-1 ECC
4	Molloy	63	8-8-2, 5-3 ECC
5	NYIT	60	9-7, 4-4 ECC
6	Queens	49	5-10-2, 2-5-1 ECC
7	Daemen	44	9-7-1, 3-5 ECC
8	St. Thomas Aquinas	33	6-9-1, 2-6 ECC
9	Roberts Wesleyan	26	3-12, 1-7 ECC
10	Lincoln	10
( ) - first place votes

AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen College women's soccer team has been picked to finish seventh in the East Coast Conference this season according to the ECC preseason poll which was released today from the conference headquarters in West Babylon, N.Y. following a vote from the league's nine head coaches.

Daemen amassed 44 points in the poll voting, sitting only five points behind sixth-place Queens (49). Bridgeport, whom Daemen beat 1-0 last year, sits third in the preseason voting.

The Wildcats coming off a 9-7-1 season in 2017 while going 3-5 in the ECC. Junior striker Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) leads the Wildcats, coming off a season of 11 goals and 25 points, leading the team in both categories. Among other returners are sophomore midfielder Lindsay Ciaramella (St. George, Ont./Paris District), who led the team in assists, and senior defender Monique Green. The Wildcats are looking to capitalize off its best season in 2013 since when they went 10-10.

The Wildcats only have six freshman this year opposed to 17 last year adding an experienced depth to the team.
Mercy (94) and LIU Post (93) are separated by only one point for the top two spots in the conference poll. Following are Bridgeport (78), who received a first-place vote, and Molloy (63). These four teams round out the ones picked to finish in the ECC Tournament. Mercy and LIU Post both finished in the first and second spots last year.

NYIT (60) comes in at fifth following Queens (49), Daemen (44), St. Thomas Aquinas (33), Roberts Wesleyan (26) and ECC newcomer Lincoln (10) was picked to finish in tenth place.

In addition to announcing the preseason poll, Dana Poetzsch of Molloy was picked as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Rebecca Conway of Mercy for the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Poetzsch finished first in goals (16) and points (34) in the 2017 season. Conway comes back to lead a defense who led the ECC in shutouts (12) last season.
Daemen opens its season hosting Bloomfield College at Karrer Field on Thursday, August 30 at 11 AM. The Wildcats will then travel to Wilmington, DE to play Goldey-Beacom College and Wilmington College before beginning ECC play at home against St. Thomas Aquinas. The ECC Tournament will feature the top four teams in the final regular season standings with the No. 1 and 2 seeds hosting semifinal games on October 30; the highest remaining seed hosts the tournament finals on November 2.

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