Women’s Soccer Ranked Ninth in GNAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

BOSTON – The Suffolk women's soccer team has been picked to finish ninth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) preseason coaches' poll, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon. 

With 49 points the Rams finished ahead of Norwich (30), Mount Ida (29) and Anna Maria (23). Lasell is predicted to win its seventh straight GNAC title as the Lasers picked up seven first-place votes for 137 points. Johnson & Wales and Emmanuel each received two first-place nods with the Wildcats edging out the Saints for second at 132 points and 118 points, respectively. Just seven points behind Emmanuel is Simmons, while the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) rounds out the top five.   

An experienced group of one senior and eight juniors will anchor Darren Lloyd's Rams in 2016. Highlighted by two of the team's top-three returning scores from 2014 in Jennifer Martin (7g, 5a), Alexandra Nagri (8g, 2a) and Jessica Harmon (4g, 1a) – Suffolk is poised to make another run at a spot in the conference post season tournament. 

Lloyd's group is also youth-drive, with four rookies joining a solid core of seven sophomores. Veronica Bernardo makes her return for the 2016 campaign after posting two points as freshman. 

The 2016 campaign kicks off Thursday, Sept. 1, when Suffolk entertains the Engineers of WPI at James A. Sartori Stadium at East Boston Memorial Park. The Rams and Engineers will meet in the first game of the year for the second straight season with kick-off slated for 6 p.m.