Bulldogs open at sixth in GPAC preseason poll

By Hunter Corneliusen on Aug. 27, 2020 in Women's Soccer

GPAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll

 

SEWARD, Neb. – While the Concordia Women’s Soccer team finished with a winning conference record in 2019, they would love to improve from their sixth-place finish last season. Sixth place is exactly where the Bulldogs have been slated to finish in the 2020 GPAC Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll. Concordia accumulated 85 points in the poll.

Concordia will have a new and vastly different look in 2020 with Head Coach Thomas Goines taking over the helm. Goines comes from NCAA Division II Barton College, where he was the winningest head coach in program history. 

While there is a new face on the sideline, Concordia returns a wealth of experience. Four 2019 All-GPAC performers are returning – midfielder Tori Cera (first team), goalkeeper Lindsey Carley (second team), midfielder Michaela Twito (second team) and defender Grace Soenksen (honorable mention). Collectively they have combined for 152 career starts.

Goines has already made it clear on what style of play the rest of the GPAC can expect from the Bulldogs this year.

“Fast. We want to be fast,” Goines stated. “Obviously, physical speed needs to be high, but we also want our tempo to be high. We want to keep teams out of their comfort zone by keeping teams out of their normal speed. We want to speed it up to a level they might not be used to, so we are playing in our comfort zone. It will take time to develop, but once you get to pushing teams paces, it creates a lot of opportunities.”

The Goines era for Concordia Women’s Soccer is slated to start on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 5:30 p.m. CT as they play host to Bellevue University.

2020 GPAC Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll
*First-place votes in parentheses

1. Midland – 142 (10)
2. Jamestown – 127 (1)
3. Hastings – 124 (2)
4. Briar Cliff – 113
5. Dordt – 90
6. Concordia – 85
7. Northwestern – 80
8. Morningside – 72
9. College of Saint Mary – 61
10. Dakota Wesleyan – 45
11. Doane - 28
12. Mount Marty – 25
13. Presentation– 22