Women's Soccer Picked To Finish Eighth In GLIAC Coaches' Poll
BAY CITY, MICH. - The Northwood University women's soccer team was picked to finish eighth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Monday (August 7).
Northwood finished with 34 points in the poll. Grand Valley State was the favorite with 81 points and nine first place votes, followed by Ashland with 73 points.
The Timberwolves enter the 2017 season led by seventh year head coach Dean Pappas and will look to build off of their 8-8-1 mark and GLIAC tournament appearance from a year ago.
Northwood will have the difficult challenge of replacing a senior laden team that included ten seniors in 2016, but will also have a number of returning starters that played a pivotal role on last year's squad. Alyssa Cowper started every game last year for the Timberwolves and is the team's leading returning scorer. The senior from Troy, Mich. alongside fellow senior Olivia Kaye and sophomore Karina Parker will provide the bulk of the returning offensive firepower.
Additionally, Andrea Kwasniewicz, Samantha Medici, and Christina Medici all saw extensive time last year and will play important roles on the 2017 Timberwolves. Northwood opens the season with a non-conference tilt at Walsh on August 31.
GLIAC Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
1. Grand Valley State
2. Ashland
3. Michigan Tech
4. Ferris State
5. Saginaw Valley State
6. (tie) Davenport and Northern Michigan
8. Northwood
9. Tiffin
10. Purdue Northwest