Women's Soccer Hopes to Prove NWC Coaches Wrong

Pacific Lutheran finished sixth in the 2010 Northwest Conference women's soccer standings, but the team's hard work last year went unnoticed in this year's preseason poll of conference coaches.

After finishing 2010 at 5-13-1 overall, the Lutes have been slated to finish last in the 2011 Northwest Conference Women's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll.  The poll, released Tuesday, gave the Lutes 13 points, two short of eighth-place Lewis & Clark College.  PLU has finished ahead of L&C in the conference standings each of the past seven seasons. The goal of the 2011 Lutes will be to prove the conference coaches wrong.

The University of Puget Sound is heavily favored to make it an even decade of dominance in Northwest Conference women's soccer. UPS received seven out of nine first-place votes and is gunning for its 10th consecutive NWC title. Whitworth edged Linfield for second place in the poll. Both teams picked up a singled first-place vote and the Pirates totaled 56 points to the Wildcats' 55 points.

Pacific Lutheran opens play on Sunday, Sept., 4 when it hosts California Lutheran in a non-conference match.

To view the entire poll, click here.

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