Central Islip, N.Y. - The University of Bridgeport women's soccer team has been tabbed the preseason favorite for the 2009 season as voted on by the league's head coaches. Bridgeport's senior midfielder Emma Woolley (Sheffield, England) has been selected the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while teammate junior forward Linda Velaj (Stamford, Conn.) has been named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
The Purple Knights received five first-place votes and tallied 59 points to claim the top spot on the poll. Last season, Bridgeport finished second in the conference with a 7-2 record and earned the program's second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Knights completed their most successful season in program history, compiling an 18-5-1 record and advancing to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
C.W. Post, the reigning ECC regular-season and tournament champions, collected three first-place votes and 58 total points to fill the No. 2 spot on the poll. The Pioneers finished the regular season with an 8-1 mark in conference play and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Dowling College rounds out the top three with 48 points.
Woolley is the returning two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Year. She helped guide the Purple Knights to the NCAA Tournament, connecting on six goals while adding seven assists on the season. In addition to earning All-Conference nods, Woolley was named to the NSCAA All-East Region First Team and Daktronics All-East Region Second Team last season.
Velaj is the returning ECC Offensive Player of the Year. She led the Purple Knights offense last season, finding the back of the net 16 times while dishing off six assists for 38 points. Velaj was named to the NSCAA and Daktronics All-East Region Second Teams and was a 2009 recipient of the ECC's inaugural John Smillie Jr. Award.
The 2009 season will kick-off on Thursday, August 27 with ECC schools on the road as C.W. Post, Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas travel to face non-conference opponents. Conference play will begin on Tuesday, September 15 when C.W. Post hosts Queens for a 4:00pm contest.
The East Coast Conference Championships will begin on Friday, November 6 with the higher seeds hosting the semifinal rounds. The finals will be held at NYIT on November 8 in conjunction with the ECC Men's Soccer finals. For more information visit www.eccsports.org.
| 2009 ECC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll | |||
| Team | Pts. | ECC | Overall |
| 1. Bridgeport(5) | 59 | 7-2 | 18-5-1 |
| 2. C.W. Post (3) | 58 | 8-1 | 17-3-1 |
| 3. Dowling | 48 | 6-2-1 | 10-6-1 |
| 4. Molloy | 34 | 5-4 | 9-8-2 |
| 5. NYIT | 33 | 4-5 | 9-8 |
| 6. Queens | 31 | 4-5 | 12-6 |
| 7. STAC | 15 | 1-7-1 | 3-12-2 |
| 8. Mercy | 10 | 0-7-2 | 1-9-2 |
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Emma Woolley, Bridgeport, Sr., M
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Linda Velaj, Bridgeport, Jr., F
