GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Grove City College women's soccer program was designated the favorite this fall in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll. The results of this year's poll, voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches, were revealed with the PAC's Players to Watch List Tuesday afternoon. 

Grove City and 29th-year head coach Melissa Lamie claimed seven first-place votes and 88 total points to top the preseason poll. 

The Wolverines earned the top seed in last spring's championship tournament after concluding the regular season with an unblemished 9-0 league record. After posting a 3-0 semifinal shutout win over No. 4 Franciscan University on April 28, Grove City fell to No. 2 Chatham University 3-1 in the tournament's title match on May 1. Grove City owns seven PAC women's soccer championships. 

Chatham, led by 11th-year head coach Betsy Warren, earned the final three first-place votes and 83 points to finish second in the preseason coaches' poll. The Cougars scored their first-ever PAC women's soccer title last spring. Chatham has made two-straight appearances in the league's championship match and appeared in the championship tournament five years in a row. Warren was selected as the PAC Coach of the Year on May 13. The coach of the year award was Warren's second (2016). 

Westminster College and 20th-year head coach Girish Thakar finished third in the poll with 73 points. 

Franciscan University registered 64 points to finish fourth and was followed by Washington & Jefferson College in fifth (56), Waynesburg University in sixth (47), Geneva College in seventh (42), Saint Vincent College in eighth (36), Thiel College in ninth (30) and Bethany College in 10th (21). 

This season’s players to watch list includes five All-PAC First Team selections, eight All-PAC Second Team selections and a pair of All-PAC Honorable Mention selections from last spring. 

Chatham senior midfielder Morgan Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Allegheny) highlights this year’s players to watch list. Named the PAC Player of the Year on May 13, Anderson started all 11 matches for the Cougars last spring and ranked third in the league with 19 points. Her eight goals were tied for the most in the league. Anderson opened the season with a career-high seven points (3G, 1A) in a 4-0 victory at Saint Vincent on March 13. She is the first player from Chatham to be voted PAC Player of the Year. In 48 career appearances (38 starts) Anderson has totaled 50 points on 19 goals and 12 assists. She was an All-PAC Second Team honoree and named to the league's all-tournament team in 2019. 

Anderson was one of seven PAC women's soccer players to earn College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III First Team Academic All-District^® honors on June 3, as voted upon by the region's sports information directors. 

The players to watch list also includes 22 members of the 2020-21 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition.

The league’s regular season concludes Wednesday, October 27 with the six-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Saturday, Oct. 30. The title match is slated for Saturday, November 6. 

This year’s tournament champion will secure the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship will be announced Monday, Nov. 8, with the first and second rounds slated for Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 13-14. 
 

2021 PAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2020-21 record (PAC)
1. Grove City College (7)	88	10-1-1 (9-0)
2. Chatham University (3)	83	8-1-2 (7-1-1)
3. Westminster College	73	6-1-3 (6-1-2)
4. Franciscan University	64	4-6-2 (4-3-2)
5. Washington & Jefferson College	56	2-3-2 (2-3-2)
6. Waynesburg University	47	3-6 (3-6)
7. Geneva College	42	2-7 (2-7)
8. Saint Vincent College	36	2-5-2 (2-5-2)
9. Thiel College	30	2-5-1 (2-5-1)
10. Bethany College	21	1-7 (1-7)

2021 PAC Women's Soccer Players to Watch

Bethany
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Lauren Hilliard	Sr.	D	Wellsville, Ohio | Beaver Local

 

Chatham
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Morgan Anderson	Sr.	F	Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Allegheny
Tyler Colburn	Jr.	GK	Marriottsville, Md. | Marriotts Ridge
Kyla Kelley	Gr.	MF	Tarentum, Pa. | Highlands
Paxton Steffy	Sr.	MF	Stevens, Pa. | Cocalico
Olivia Wood	Jr.	F	Monroeville, Pa. | Gateway

 

Franciscan
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Casey Boin	Fr.	F	Ellicott City, Md. | Mount de Sales Academy
Claire Dawyot	Gr.	F	Landenberg, Pa. | Kennett
Rebekka Dill	Fr.	GK	Setauket, N.Y. | Ward Melville
Angela Postage	So.	D	Canal Winchester, Ohio | Canal Winchester
Bella Rubino	Jr.	F	Ashburn, Va. | Stone Bridge

 

Geneva
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Lydia Beare	Jr.	F	Mansfield, Ohio | Mansfield Christian
Lillie Berryman	Fr.	MF	Mansfield, Ohio | Mansfield Christian
Katie Bodenmiller	So.	F	Westfield, N.Y. | Westfield Academy and Central

 

Grove City
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Gianna D'Amato	So.	F	Maywood, N.J. | Hawthorne Christian
Tirzah Lloyd	Sr.	D	Durham, N.C. | Homeschooled

 

Saint Vincent
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Tanisha Grewal	So.	MF	Grantville, Pa. | Eastern Lebanon
Hannah Irvine	Sr.	MF	Cheswick, Pa. | Deer Lakes
Morgan Klingeman	Fr.	D	Middletown, Pa. | Middletown
Jenna Phillips	Fr.	F	Hagerstown, Pa. | South Hagerstown

   

Thiel
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Arlene Barreto	Jr.	F	Covina, Calif. | Bishop Amat Memorial
Kelly Clark	Jr.	MF	New Castle, Pa. | Mohawk
Kate Sollers	Sr.	MF	Suffield, Ohio | Field
Taylor Warner	Jr.	F	Greenville, Pa. | Greenville

   

W&J
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Kayla Daugherty	So.	D	Prospect, Pa. | Slippery Rock
Katie Hahn	Sr.	F	Volant, Pa. | Wilmington
Abby Hipkins	So.	GK	Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan
McKenna Lewis	Sr.	D	Hershey, Pa. | Hershey

 

Waynesburg
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Meghan Briski	Sr.	D	Gibsonia, Pa. | Pine-Richland
Grace Ingram	So.	D	Valencia, Pa. | Mars

 

Westminster
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Sophia Galietta	So.	D	Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park
Jocelyn Gillette	Gr.	D	Natrona Heights, Pa. | Highlands
Camille Holzschuh	Sr.	GK	Youngstown, Ohio | Boardman
Julia Redilla	Jr.	M	Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley