UCSB was picked fifth in the Big West women’s soccer preseason poll released Wednesday.
The Gauchos are coming off an 8-9-2 season which saw them score only 23 goals.
UC Irvine, which won 19 games last year and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, was voted the favorite to win the conference. The Anteaters received seven of the nine first-place votes, with Cal Poly and Pacific splitting the other two.
UC Irvine garnered 78 overall points followed by Long Beach State with 70. The coaches predicted a logjam in the middle of the pack as only eight points separated third through sixth place. Cal State Northridge was picked to finish third with 52 points, while Pacific was fourth with 51 points. UCSB finished with 48 points for fifth place and Cal Poly received 44 points for sixth. Cal State Fullerton (34 points), UC Davis (18) and UC Riverside (10) rounded out the poll, respectively.
UCI was the first women’s soccer program to complete the conference ledger unbeaten and untied, winning the regular season crown with an 8-0-0 record. The Anteaters finished No. 14 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and produced the school’s first All-Americans in CoCo Goodson and Tanya Taylor.
The Anteaters open 2011 with a preseason ranking of No. 17 in the NSCAA poll. All-Big West First Team selections Goodson, senior Judy Christopher and junior Mar Rodriguez form a solid nucleus of seven returning starters. Goodson, the 2010 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, led the league circuit with five game-winning goals and ranked second with nine scores overall. Rodriguez and senior Lexi Kopf tied for ninth with six goals apiece, giving 2010 Big West Coach of the Year Scott Juniper plenty of scoring options. Juniper also welcomes a pair of heralded transfers in Natalia Ledezma (UCLA) and Mady Solow (Florida).
Long Beach State provided the only blemish on UC Irvine’s otherwise perfect Big West report card in 2010. The 49ers knocked off the Anteaters on their home pitch in the Big West Tournament championship game. The triumph secured LBSU a trip to the NCAA Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier and tied the school record for wins with 14. With designs on overtaking UCI, the 49ers will look to All-Big West First Team performers Shawna Gordon and Nadia Link as the starting points. Gordon tied for eighth in the Big West with 15 points (4 g, 7 a) while Link’s eight goals tied her for third-most among scorers.
Cal State Northridge returns a pair of all-conference standouts in senior defender Brielle Slepicoff and junior goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo to build upon last year’s tie for third in the regular season standings and Big West Tournament berth.
Pacific returns a core of seniors in Angelica Figueroa, Kristina Wavomba and Alex Topp, who helped the Tigers reach the league tournament last season. The Tigers also feature defender Brittni Beeman, the 2010 Big West Freshman of the Year.
UCSB will be counting on the return of midfielder Katy Roby to help increase the offensive production. Roby sat out last season with a knee injury.
2011 Big West Women’s Soccer
Preseason Coaches Poll
No. School Pts.
1. UC Irvine (7) 78
2. Long Beach State 70
3. Cal State Northridge 52
4. Pacific (1) 51
5. UC Santa Barbara 48
6. Cal Poly (1) 44
7. Cal State Fullerton 34
8. UC Davis 18
9. UC Riverside 10
( ) First-place votes
