Lakeland College

Lakeland women's soccer tabbed eighth in NAC preseason poll

Athletics - posted on 8/28/2008

The Lakeland College women's soccer team has been selected to finish eighth in the Northern Athletics Conference by the league's coaches in a preseason poll released late Wednesday by the conference.

The Muskies (6-6 NAC, 7-12 overall), who failed to reach the NAC Tournament last season by finishing in a tie for seventh in the regular season, return an experienced group of returnees, including five seniors, as well as a talented core of freshmen.

Offensively, the team is led by senior forward Amy Christenson (Dodgeville), who led the team with 16 shots on goal and tied for second with four goals in 2007. Junior forward Gina Weiss (Salem), who led the team last year with five goals, and sophomore Kenosha native Maria Santelli (four goals) also return to pace the Muskies up front.

A trio of seniors, Jacqui Drexler (Appleton), Maggie Short (Green Bay) and Megan Andrews (Appleton) will anchor Lakeland's defense.

NAC coaches unanimously selected Aurora University to record its third-straight conference title in 2008. The Spartans (12-0, 19-3-1) have not lost to an opponent in NAC play since the conference's inaugural season in 2006, including both regular season and conference tournament matches.

Edgewood College (11-1, 15-4) is selected to finish as runner-up, followed by Dominican University (9-3, 13-8) in third.

The complete 2008 Northern Athletics Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll follows (first place votes in parenthesis):

1. Aurora University (13), 169
2. Edgewood College, 153
3. Dominican University, 143
4. Concordia University Wisconsin, 125
5. Benedictine University, 109
6. Marian University, 99
7. MSOE, 94
8. Lakeland College, 88
9. Maranatha Baptist Bible College, 59
10. Concordia University Chicago, 47
11. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 46
12. Alverno College, 34
13, Rockford College, 17