Monmouth, Bruno Lead CAA Women’s Soccer Preseason Honors

Monmouth, Bruno Lead CAA Women’s Soccer Preseason Honors

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Miles McQuiggan

RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 7, 2024) – Monmouth edged Hofstra and Towson to be selected as the 2024 CAA Women’s Soccer preseason favorite by the league’s 13 head coaches, while the Hawks’ Lauren Bruno was tabbed as Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Monmouth collected five first-place votes to move past Hofstra (3) and defending CAA Champion Towson (4) in the top three. Northeastern received the remaining vote to finish atop the league. William & Mary was picked fifth, while Stony Brook, Drexel, UNCW, Delaware, and Campbell followed in the top 10 of the preseason poll. Elon, Charleston, and Hampton rounded out the 13-team poll, which was selected by the league’s coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
 
The Hawks advanced to the CAA Final in their second year as a league member in 2023 and were third in the regular-season standings (11-6-2, 8-2-2 CAA). Bruno returns to West Long Branch for her graduate season after being named CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. The Central Jersey native anchored the back line of a Monmouth defense that led the CAA in shutouts a year ago. Monmouth also returns goalkeeper Cassie Coster from a team that led the league in shutouts. CAA Rookie of the Year Liza Suydam joined Bruno on the Preseason All-CAA team.

Hofstra, which has won five of the last seven CAA titles, was projected to finish second and collected three first-place votes. The Pride was second in the CAA standings a year ago (12-5-1, 9-2-1 CAA) and advanced to the league semifinals. Hofstra placed two players on the preseason team: Millie Davies and Louise Hayden.
 
Towson won its first CAA title in 2023, following a regular-season crown with a trophy on Tiger Field. The Tigers (15-3-2, 9-1-2) earned three spots on the 11-player preseason list, as CAA Goalkeeper of the Year Riley Melendez is joined by Demi Pierre and Maja Hansson.
 
Northeastern, William & Mary, and Stony Brook were picked to finish fourth through sixth in the preseason rankings – the same places those teams finished in the 2023 regular season. The Huskies, Tribe, and Seawolves combined for three of the other four positions on the Preseason All-CAA team with Northeastern’s Jessie Hunt, William & Mary’s Ivey Crain, and Stony Brook’s Reilly Rich making the list. Drexel was projected seventh with Casey Touey grabbing the final spot on the preseason team.
 
CAA teams will play 10 league games in 2024 with the top six programs advancing to the CAA Championship. First Round and Semifinal action will be played on October 31 and November 3 with the CAA Championship final slated for the second weekend of November.
 
2024 CAA Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
 
            School (1st)                  Points
  1. Monmouth (5)             133
  2. Hofstra (3)                   131
  3. Towson (4)                  123
  4. Northeastern (1)         115
  5. William & Mary           100
  6. Stony Brook                90
  7. Drexel                         71
  8. UNCW                        57
  9. Delaware                     53
  10. Campbell                     48
  11. Elon                             46
  12. Charleston                   35
  13. Hampton                     12
 
2024 Preseason All-CAA Women’s Soccer Team
Name School Cl. Pos. Hometown
Ivey Crain William & Mary Jr. F Milton, Ga.
Demi Pierre Towson Gr. F Gävle, Sweden
Reilly Rich Stony Brook Gr. F Ilion, N.Y.
Casey Touey Drexel Sr. F Rockledge, Pa.
Millie Davies Hofstra Jr. M Manchester, England
Jessie Hunt Northeastern 5th M Edina, Minn.
Liza Suydam Monmouth So. M Lancaster, Pa.
Lauren Bruno Monmouth Gr. D Manalapan, N.J.
Maja Hansson Towson Gr. D Sandviken, Sweden
Louise Hayden Hofstra Gr. D Bjäerred, Sweden
Riley Melendez Towson Gr. GK Springfield, Va.
 
2024 CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Lauren Bruno, Monmouth
 
Honorable Mention: Linn Beck, M, Stony Brook; Kayla Burroughs, F, UNCW; Kyla Burns, GK, Delaware; Cassie Coster, GK, Monmouth; Chloe Ferreira, D, Monmouth; Grace Gelhaus, F, Elon; Rebecca Groseibl, M, Towson; Katie Lowe, D, Elon; Dagny Run Petursdottir, M, Hofstra; Faith Rosenblatt, D, Northeastern; Nicole Sellers, D, William & Mary; Alyssa Tucker, F, Campbell; Molly Widderich, D, William & Mary; Shae Yocum, D, Charleston
 
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