Hofstra Tabbed to Defend CAA Women's Soccer Title in Preseason Poll
Bill Potter
RICHMOND, Va. (August 15, 2019) – Hofstra University was voted to three-peat as Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) women’s soccer champions, while Pride junior
Lucy Porter was tabbed as the CAA Preseason Midfielder of the Year in voting of the league’s 10 head coaches.
Joining Porter with preseason accolades were James Madison senior
Haley Crawford, who was voted the CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Northeastern junior
Julianne Ross, chosen the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and Drexel senior
Libby Baeza, selected the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
Hofstra, which collected its second straight CAA title on its way to a win over Boston College in the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, earned seven first-place votes to edge James Madison by four points, 78-74. The Dukes received the remaining three first-place votes. Semifinalists in last season’s CAA championship, Northeastern was third with 67 points, while Charleston took fourth with 52 points. Drexel was fifth, receiving 47 points, followed by William & Mary in sixth with 39. Delaware was five points behind in seventh, followed closely by UNCW’s 32 points. Elon was ninth with 16 points, and Towson rounded out the poll with 10 points.
Porter, a MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List candidate, posted 26 points in her sophomore year, tied for second in the CAA. The Birmingham, England-native’s 11 goals were second in the CAA, trailing only teammate
Sabrina Bryan, who joined her teammate on the preseason All-CAA team after posting 13 goals and 30 points in her sophomore campaign. In 2018, the duo helped the Pride capture the CAA championship and reach the second round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.
Crawford joined as Porter as a MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List candidate after a junior year in which she helped lead James Madison to the CAA regular-season title. The Port Matilda, Pa.-native recorded nine goals and 24 points on her way to First Team All-CAA accolades. Crawford was one of two Dukes chosen to the preseason All-CAA team, with midfielder
Ginger Deel also earning a place on the team. Deel tied for fifth in the CAA with 20 points in 2018, notching seven goals and six assists.
Ross and preseason team pick
Mikenna McManus anchor a stout Northeastern defense. In her sophomore year, Ross was a First Team All-CAA selection after helping Northeastern turn in seven shutouts in 2018. The Cumberland, R.I.-native added a goal from the back line. McManus was a Second Team All-CAA selection as a sophomore, and in combination with Ross, defended during the entirety of the Huskies' stretch of 522:37 consecutive minutes without conceding an opposing goal, spanning seven matches from Sept. 20 to Oct. 14.
Baeza started every game in goal for Drexel in 2018, earning Third Team All-CAA honors. In net, Baeza led the CAA with an .829 save percentage and finished second in the conference with 92 saves while tying for the CAA lead with seven shutouts. Three of those shutouts came at the end of the regular season, helping lift the Dragons into the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship.
Charleston will be looking to reach the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship for the fourth straight season, led by preseason all-CAA selection
Rachel Kim. Kim earned Second Team All-CAA honors after starting all 20 matches last season and helping the Cougars hold opponents to just 25 goals in over 1,800 minutes.
Elon’s
Hannah Doherty, UNCW’s
Marissa Vincent and William & Mary’s
Sarah Segan rounded out the preseason all-CAA team. Doherty collected Second Team All-CAA honors as a sophomore after finishing second on the Phoenix with eight points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 16 matches. Vincent was also a Second Team All-CAA member after starting all 16 UNCW matches in her sophomore season and recording three goals and an assist.
Segan earned First Team All-CAA honors in her junior year, tying for seventh in the conference with 16 points. Segan’s six goals tied for seventh, while her four assists tied for 10
th.
The 2019 season kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 22, with five CAA teams in action. The remaining five teams will open their seasons on Friday, Aug. 23. The top six teams in the CAA standings will qualify for the 2019 CAA Championship, with the top two seeds hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals on Nov. 1-3. The highest remaining seed will host the championship on Saturday, Nov. 9.
| 2019 CAA Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll |
| Place |
Team (1st place votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Hofstra (7) |
78 |
| 2. |
James Madison (3) |
74 |
| 3. |
Northeastern |
67 |
| 4. |
Charleston |
52 |
| 5. |
Drexel |
47 |
| 6. |
William & Mary |
39 |
| 7. |
Delaware |
34 |
| 8. |
UNCW |
32 |
| 9. |
Elon |
16 |
| 10. |
Towson |
10 |
| 2019 Preseason All-CAA Women’s Soccer Team |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Sabrina Bryan |
Hofstra |
F |
Jr. |
Cecil, Pa. |
| Haley Crawford |
James Madison |
F |
Sr. |
Port Matilda, Pa. |
| Sarah Segan |
William & Mary |
F |
R-Sr. |
Fogelsville, Pa. |
| Ginger Deel |
James Madison |
M |
Jr. |
Coronado, Calif. |
| Hannah Doherty |
Elon |
M |
R-Jr. |
Crumlin, Northern Ireland |
| Lucy Porter |
Hofstra |
M |
Jr. |
Birmingham, England |
| Marissa Vincent |
UNCW |
M |
Jr. |
Columbia, Md. |
| Rachel Kim |
Charleston |
D |
Sr. |
Ellicott City, Md. |
| Mikenna McManus |
Northeastern |
D |
Jr. |
Lake Forest, Calif. |
| Julianne Ross |
Northeastern |
D |
Jr. |
Cumberland, R.I. |
| Libby Baeza |
Drexel |
GK |
Sr. |
Irvine, Calif. |
2019 CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Haley Crawford, James Madison
2019 CAA Preseason Midfielder of the Year: Lucy Porter, Hofstra
2019 CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Julianne Ross, Northeastern
2019 CAA Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year: Libby Baeza, Drexel |