PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its women's soccer preseason coaches poll on Monday afternoon with Seattle Pacific University totaling 52 points and a second-place selection from the league's coaches.
SPU ranks second in this year's GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. They trail the defending national champion Western Washington Vikings, who received seven first-place votes and 63 points. Northwest Nazarene rounds out the top three with 46 points. Central Washington was the only other school with a first-place vote, finding themselves in sixth with 28 points.
"Polls are fun," head coach Arby Busey said. "We are so excited to be back on campus and to begin our journey together this fall! We have an amazing group of women who dream of doing great things together this fall. We have a very challenging schedule in front of us, but couldn't more excited about getting to work and preparing for it."
The top trio of the 2023 GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll can be found in and around the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 National Poll. The Vikings top the list and enter the new season ranked #1. Both the Falcons and the Nighthawks are receiving votes.
The Falcons are coming off a 2022 season in which they qualified for the GNAC Tournament. They entered as a three-seed before falling to host Northwest Nazarene in the semifinals. SPU finished the season with an 11-6-2 overall record while going 9-4-1 in conference play. The team was excellent at Interbay Soccer Stadium, going 8-2 in 10 home matches.
It'll be a veteran roster returning for head coach Arby Busey in 2023. The group is led by graduate seniors Marissa Bankey and Chloe Gellhaus. Both were named First Team All-GNAC a season ago. Bankey collected USC First Team All-Region, while Gellhaus earned Second Team recognition.
Sophie Beadle, Lauren Forster, and Lauren Snedeker return to the squad. Beadle scored five goals and has five assists on her way to Second Team All-GNAC and USC Second Team All-Region honors in 2022. Forster finished with 11 points (Three goals, four assists) and was Second Team All-GNAC. Snedeker had a hand in everything the Falcons do on the pitch and was named Second Team All-GNAC and USC All-Region last season.
Kathryn Nyone and Mercedes Cullen will anchor the defense for the Falcons. Nyone was a GNAC Honorable Mention in 2022, with four assists and stout defensive efforts. Cullen will be between the posts for SPU. A season ago, Cullen made 63 saves and had a goals-against average of 1.28 per game. She was also named GNAC Honorable Mention.
Nine newcomers join the Falcons for the 2023 season. Landry Schoennauer, Nora Patterson, Kaila Ahuna, Lauren Rife, Logann Dukes, Andie Buckley, Ashlyn Valdovinos, and Ella Smith are getting their first taste of collegiate soccer this season. Taylor Krueger joins SPU as the only transfer of the incoming class.
SPU plays scrimmages against Trinity Western (Aug. 17), British Columbia (Aug. 19), and Pacific Lutheran (Aug. 26) before starting the season at home. The Falcons open against Westminster on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.
