United Athletic Conference

DENVER- Seattle U is the favorite to win the 2015 Western Athletic Conference women's soccer title as determined by a vote of the league's eight head coaches. The 2015 WAC preseason all-conference women's soccer team and preseason Players of the Year were also announced by the league's head coaches.

Seattle U was selected first in the poll, receiving six first place votes for 47 total points. The Redhawks return six of their 11 starters from a team that went 15-4-3 in 2014 and finished tied for first in WAC play with an 8-1-1 record. The team also claimed its second consecutive WAC Tournament title and won its first-ever game in the NCAA Division I Tournament, 2-1 (2OT), over Washington State, before falling to South Carolina on penalty kicks 0-0, (2-1), in the second round.

Grand Canyon ranks second in the poll, receiving 39 points. The Lopes tied for third in WAC play last season with a 7-3 record. Missouri-Kansas City received 38 points to place third in the preseason poll, earning one first-place vote. The ‘Roos went 8-1-1 in league play last season and tied for first in the regular season standings. UMKC fell to Seattle U in the WAC Tournament championship match for the second consecutive year.

Utah Valley ranks fourth in the poll with 35 points, including a first place vote, after finishing tied for third in the WAC last year with 7-3 a mark. CSU Bakersfield is fifth with 23 points. NM State and UTRGV tied for sixth with 17 points, while Chicago State was selected eighth.

Grand Canyon junior forward Maria Monterroso garnered Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors and Utah Valley senior goalkeeper Jessica Duffin was selected as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Monterosso, a first team all-WAC honoree last season, led the Lopes with eight goals and 17 points, while also registering an assist and 65 shots in 2014. Monterosso missed time during the season due to commitments to the Guatemalan national team, scoring the lone goal for the side during its World Cup Qualifying campaign.

Duffin was a major part of the Wolverines stout defense last season, posting nine shutouts and limiting opponents to just 19 goals in 22 games on the season. She stopped 81 shots and played every minute in goal for the Wolverines.

Seven WAC schools were represented on the Preseason All-WAC Team, led by Grand Canyon with three preseason all-conference selections. Seattle U and Utah Valley each had two honorees, while CSU Bakersfield, Missouri-Kansas City, NM State and UTRGV each had one representative.

The 2015 WAC season is set to kickoff Aug. 21 with every team but NM State in action. The WAC Soccer Tournament heads to CSU Bakersfield's Main Soccer Field this year and will be held November 5-6 and 8.

Preseason Coaches' Poll

Place	Team (first place votes)	Pts.
1.	Seattle U	47
2.	Grand Canyon	39
3.	Missouri-Kansas City	38
4.	Utah Valley	35
5.	CSU Bakersfield	23
6t.	NM State	17
6t.	UTRGV	17
8.	Chicago State	8

Preseason All-WAC Team