Aug. 9, 2011
BIG EAST Coaches Poll 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Notre Dame and West Virginia were picked as favorites in the 2011 BIG EAST preseason women's soccer poll. The Irish were unanimously chosen to win the league's National Division, while the Mountaineers had eight first-place votes and sit atop the American Division in the poll. Notre Dame is the defending national champion having won the 2010 NCAA tournament, while West Virginia is the defending league title holder having won the 2010 BIG EAST tournament. The votes were cast by the league's 16 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Notre Dame totaled 120 points, including 15 first-place votes and has been picked for first in each of the last 16 years dating to 1995, when it joined the BIG EAST. Last year the Irish went 21-2-2 (9-0-2 BIG EAST) and captured its third national championship.
Headlining the American Division was West Virginia with 110 points. The Mountaineers (18-5-1, 9-1-1 BIG EAST) won their second tournament crown last year and earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Championship. Junior Bri Rodriguez is a Preseason All-Conference selection who tallied seven goals last season. West Virginia also returns all four back line starters in 2011. WVU's defense has posted seven shutouts in conference play in each of the past three seasons.
Marquette was narrowly picked second in the American Division behind West Virginia with 108 points, including five first-place votes. Connecticut was picked third in the American Division with 98 points, including three first-place votes. USF was picked fourth with 76 points. Both teams participated in last year's NCAA Championship.
Georgetown was tabbed second in the National Division behind Notre Dame totaling 103 points, including one first-place vote. Rutgers (10-9-1, 5-5-1 BIG EAST) was picked third in the National Division with 91 points and Louisville was picked fourth with 73 points.
After finishing fourth a year ago and advancing to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship, the Blue Demons were slotted in sixth place in the National Division. DePaul finished the 2010 campaign with a 11-9-2 record while going 5-6-0 in league action.
The 2011 women's soccer season kicks off Aug. 19, with BIG EAST play set to begin on Sept. 15. The BIG EAST is the nation's largest Division I women's soccer conference. Its 16 members compete in an 11-game schedule within two divisions of eight utilizing travel partners for crossover play. Each team plays the seven opponents within its division and four opponents from the other division.
Last year the league saw six teams selected for the NCAA Championship (Connecticut, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, USF and West Virginia) and totaled a record 12 wins during the tournament. In addition Notre Dame won the College Cup and earned the 31st national championship in conference history.
The 2011 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship is a 10-team single-elimination tournament. The top five teams in each division, seeded by conference point total, qualify for the conference championship. The top three teams in each division earn first-round byes to the quarterfinals. The first-round and quarterfinal games are conducted on the campuses of the higher-seeded teams.
First-round games will be held on Oct. 27, with the quarterfinals following on Oct. 30. West Virginia's Dick Dlesk Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va., will serve as host for the semifinals (Nov. 4) as well as the championship game (Nov. 6). The final three matches of the championship will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network (CBS SN). The semifinals also will be carried exclusively on CBS SN, while the title game will be shown on numerous regional sports networks, including SportsNet New York (SNY) and www.bigeast.tv. The tournament champion receives the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
2011 BIG EAST WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
American Division
|
Points |
2010 Overall |
2010 BIG EAST |
BIG EAST Reg. Season Finish |
| 1. West Virginia (8) |
110 |
18-5-1 |
9-1-1 |
2nd |
| 2. Marquette (5) |
108 |
16-5-3 |
11-0-0 |
1st |
| 3. Connecticut (3) |
98 |
10-10-3 |
4-5-2 |
4th |
| 4. USF |
76 |
14-6-3 |
6-3-2 |
3rd |
| 5. Providence |
51 |
9-7-2 |
3-6-2 |
t6th |
| 6. St. John's |
50 |
6-10-2 |
3-7-1 |
8th |
| 7. Syracuse |
38 |
6-9-5 |
3-6-2 |
t6th |
| 8. Pittsburgh |
37 |
7-11-2 |
4-6-1 |
5th |
National Division
|
Points |
2010 Overall |
2010 BIG EAST |
BIG EAST Reg. Season Finish |
| 1. Notre Dame (15) |
120 |
21-2-2 |
9-0-2 |
1st |
| 2. Georgetown (1) |
103 |
15-7-2 |
7-3-1 |
2nd |
| 3. Rutgers |
91 |
10-9-1 |
5-5-1 |
3rd |
| 4. Louisville |
73 |
10-9-0 |
4-7-0 |
t7th |
| 5. Villanova |
67 |
7-12-0 |
2-9-0 |
5th |
| 6. DePaul |
54 |
11-9-2 |
5-6-0 |
4th |
| t7. Cincinnati |
30 |
8-10-1 |
2-9-0 |
t7th |
| t7. Seton Hall |
30 |
7-10-1 |
3-7-1 |
6th |
2011 BIG EAST PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
*Melissa Henderson, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Preseason Defensive Players of the Year
Kerry McBride, Sr., D, Marquette
Jessica Schuveiller, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Natalie Kulla, Sr., Marquette
2011 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team
Kelly D'Ambrisi, Sr., M, Georgetown
Christine Exeter, So., F, Louisville
Jonelle Filigno, R-So., F, Rutgers
*Melissa Henderson, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Chelsea Klotz, Sr., F, USF
Natalie Kulla, Sr., GK, Marquette
Kerry McBride, Sr., D, Marquette
Bri Rodriguez, Jr., M, West Virginia
Katie Ryan, Sr., F, Villanova
Jessica Schuveiller, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Ingrid Wells, R-Sr., M, Georgetown
* - unanimous selection
