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BYU women’s soccer picked to finish first in WCC

By Daily Herald - | Aug 10, 2022

BYU women's soccer players prepare to take the field before the College Cup semifinal match against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium in Santa Clara, Cali., on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.(Courtesy BYU Photos)

The BYU women’s soccer team amassed the top spot in the annual West Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll as announced on Wednesday.

The preseason poll and team are picked after compiling votes from the conference’s 10 head coaches.

BYU enters the fall season ranked No. 3 nationally after finishing last season as the 2021 NCAA National runner-up.

The Cougars garnered eight first-place votes in the WCC poll to place them on top with a total of 80 points. Following close behind was Santa Clara, who totaled two first-place votes and 72 points, and is ranked No. 5 nationally.

BYU led the way with three spots on the preseason All-WCC Preseason Team, followed by Santa Clara and Pepperdine with two each. BYU captain Jamie Shepherd and defenders Olivia Smith and Laveni Vaka were selected to the team. All three players were starters for the 2021 squad under head coach Jennifer Rockwood and will continue to be impactful players going into the 2022 season.

The Cougars begin the season on Saturday with an exhibition game at North Carolina. BYU will play at Cal State Fullerton (August 18) and Ohio State (August 26) before returning for its home opener on August 29 at South Field against Colorado.

2022 WCC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

1. BYU (8) 80

2. Santa Clara (2) 72

3. Pepperdine 64

4. Gonzaga 59

5. Portland 46

6. Saint Mary’s 43

7. San Francisco 32

8. Pacific 22

9. LMU 19

10. San Diego 13

2022 All-WCC Women’s Soccer Preseason Team

Izzy D’Aquilla Sr. F, Santa Clara

Erin Healy Sr. M, Gonzaga

Sally Menti Jr. F, Santa Clara

Nedya Sawan Jr. F, Portland

Jamie Shepherd Jr. M, BYU

Suzuna Shibukawa Jr. F, Saint Mary’s

Olivia Smith So. D, BYU

Laveni Vaka Jr. D, BYU

Marissa Vasquez Jr. M, San Francisco

Tori Waldeck Jr. F, Pepperdine

Trinity Watson Sr. D, Pepperdine

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