Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll

RINDGE, N.H. (August 9, 2018) – The Franklin Pierce University women’s soccer team has been picked to finish third, out of 15 teams, in the Northeast-10 Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced on Thursday morning by the Conference office.

The Ravens, who finished fourth in the league a year ago with a 12-5-2 (9-3-2 NE10) record, and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2014, are expected to compete for a spot in the upper echelon of the NE10 in 2018, and received one of the poll’s 15 available first-place votes. Franklin Pierce is coming off its first NCAA Championship appearance since 2010.

Leading the way among the returners are rising senior Nathalia Maria da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (7-0-14) and rising junior Veronica Marques (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (6-2-14), who tallied 14 points each a year ago. Rising junior Gabi Pereira (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) returns after a double-digit point season of her own, as she notched 12 points (5-2-12) in 2017.

Five different teams earned first-place votes in the poll, with six coaches each selecting Adelphi and Southern New Hampshire to claim the top spot. Three-time defending regular season champion Adelphi ultimately collected 185 points to claim the top spot, while reigning NE10 champion SNHU will defend its league crown after being picked second, with 180 points. Behind the Ravens (166 points), fourth-ranked Saint Rose (158 points) and fifth-ranked Assumption (141 points) picked up a first-place vote each to round out the poll’s top five positions.

The Ravens will open the season on Thursday, Aug. 30, when they play host to Wisconsin Parkside in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. at Sodexo Field.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics’ official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce soccer apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics’ online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).