Lasers collect seven first-place votes

Saint Joseph's College looks to improve on last year's finish as the SJC side went 9-10 overall with a 6-5 mark in GNAC play under the watch of Head Coach Jenelle Harris, who is beginning her fourth year at the helm, in 2015. The Monks earned the #7 seed in the 2015 conference tournament and nearly pulled off a quarterfinal upset facing #2 Johnson & Wales University in Providence as the Royal Blue, trailing 2-0 late, netted a pair of goals in the closing 10 minutes before falling in overtime.

The Monks return four of the 2015 team's top five scorers, including sophomore forward Haley DaGraca (Saco, Maine) who earned First Team All-GNAC honors after netting 12 goals and 27 total points last fall. Junior goalkeeper Brooke Troup (East Bridgewater, Mass.), a third-year starter who claimed All-Conference honors as a freshman, also returns this fall.

Saint Joseph's kicks off the 2016 season on Thursday, September 1st when the Monks host University of New England in a 4:00 PM start at Westerlea Way Field.

Johnson & Wales finished second with 132 points in the poll, while Emmanuel College was third with 118 points. Both programs collected two first-place votes apiece after squaring off in the 2016 GNAC Tournament Semifinals, with Emmanuel advancing to the finals against Lasell. The Lasers then needed penalty kicks to earn the automatic NCAA berth.

Simmons College took the fourth spot with 111 points and a lone first-place vote, followed by the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) with 97 points.

Albertus Magnus College finished sixth with 83 points, followed by Saint Joseph's College of Maine with 76 points, Rivier University with 51 points, Suffolk University with 40 points and Norwich University rounding out the top-10 with 30 points. Mount Ida College and Anna Maria College rounded out the poll in the 11th and 12th spots, respectively.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.

2016 GNAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll

1. Lasell (7) – 137

2. Johnson & Wales (2) – 132

3. Emmanuel (2) – 118

4. Simmons (1) – 111

5. USJ (Conn.) – 97

6. Albertus Magnus – 83

7. Saint Joseph's of Maine – 76

8. Rivier – 51

9. Suffolk – 49

10. Norwich – 30

11. Mount Ida – 29

12. Anna Maria - 23