Central Islip, N.Y. – In a tightly
contested vote, LIU Post came in one point ahead of Bridgeport as
the coaches’ favorite in the 2013 East Coast Conference
Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll. Sophomore forward
Susanne Vistnes (Randaberg, Norway) from LIU Post takes home the
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year award and Bridgeport’s
senior goalkeeper Julia Hansson (Tocksfors, Sweden) was voted the
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive
season.
With four first place votes and 91 points, the 2012 ECC Regular
Season Champion, LIU Post Pioneers, take home the top spot in the
preseason poll. The Pioneers return eight starters from a team that
finished 15-3-2 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2012.
LIU Post also starts the year No. 24 in the NSCAA’s Preseason
Top 25 poll.
Like the Pioneers, Bridgeport also received four first place votes
but finished with 90 points to fall one point short of the top
spot. The Purple Knights finished 2012 with an 11-6-2 record and an
appearance in the ECC Championship Game. However, last season
marked the end of five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament for
Bridgeport.
After a second straight ECC title last season and their first ever
appearance in the NCAA East Region Final, Dowling College rounds
out the top three with 75 points. The Golden Lions also join LIU
Post in the preseason national rankings, coming in at No. 22 in the
NSCAA ledger.
Vistnes is awarded the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year award
after an amazing freshman season a year ago. In 20 games, Vistnes
led the ECC with 19 goals and 47 points, while also finishing tied
for second with nine assists. Both her goal and point totals were
among the top four in all of Division II. Her amazing totals led to
being honored as the ECC Rookie of the Year, the ECC Offensive
Player of the Year, and a spot on the NSCAA All-America Third
Team.
Hansson takes home the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honor
for the second consecutive season. A First Team All-American and
ECC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011, Hansson posted solid numbers
again in 2012. In 19 games between the pipes for the Purple
Knights, she posted 11 wins, 59 saves, and led the conference with
seven shutouts.
2013 ECC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | 2012 Record |
| 1. LIU Post (4) | 91 | 15-3-2 |
| 2. Bridgeport (4) | 90 | 11-6-2 |
| 3. Dowling | 75 | 14-4-3 |
| 4. Queens | 66 | 10-4-4 |
| 5. Molloy (1) | 57 | 4-10-1 |
| 6. Mercy (1) | 51 | 5-12-1 |
| 7. Roberts Wesleyan * | 45 | 10-8-1 |
| 8. NYIT | 26 | 6-10-1 |
| 9. St. Thomas Aquinas | 25 | 5-9-2 |
| 10. Daemen * | 34 | 11-9-0 |
( ) - first place votes
* - ineligible for conference tournament as NCAA provisional
member
