No. 8 Women’s Soccer projected to win third straight regular season title in OAC Coaches Preseason Poll
By Blake Moore
| 2018 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll |
ADA – After claiming back-to-back regular season conference titles in 2016 and 2017, the No. 8-ranked Ohio Northern women's soccer team has been selected by the 10 Ohio Athletic Conference head coaches to claim the 2018 OAC Regular Season title, the league office announced Tuesday morning.
The Polar Bears garnered 54 total points and nine first-place votes to top the 2018 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll. Capital, who ended as the conference runner-up last season, was predicted to finish second with 43 points and one first-place vote while Otterbein was projected third in the poll after receiving 33 points.
Last season, Northern won both the 2017 OAC Regular Season and OAC Tournament titles and posted a 20-2-2 overall record with an undefeated 9-0-0 mark in the conference loop.
The Polar Bears would conclude their season with a trip to the 2017 NCAA Tournament where they made the program's first appearance in a NCAA Division III Elite 8 match in school history.
The OAC Coaches Preseason Poll mentions just the top six teams of the league's 10 institutions.
No. 8 Ohio Northern will open the 2018 regular season on September 1 and 2 at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational. ONU will face off against Hope (Mich.) in the opener Saturday, which will be followed with a clash against a nationally ranked program Sunday when they play the tournament host, No. 23 Illinois Wesleyan.
2018 OAC Coaches Preseason Poll
Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points |
1. | Ohio Northern (9) | 54 |
2. | Capital (1) | 43 |
3. | Otterbein | 33 |
4. | John Carroll | 31 |
5. | Mount Union | 19 |
6. | Baldwin Wallace | 18 |