ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Sept. 1) – Coming off the best season in program history, the Central Washington University women's soccer team is looking for a repeat performance in 2017. The 2016 squad finished 14-6-1 with a conference mark of 8-3-1.
The Wildcats nabbed the program's first NCAA Regional appearance, as well as the first NCAA postseason win, with a 2-1 victory over Seattle Pacific.
The 2017 slate opens with a trip to the Golden State for a pair of matches. The Wildcats play the visitor against the UC San Diego and UC San Bernardino, two opponents Central Washington hosted in the opening week of 2016.
The Tritons went 19-3 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the CCAA a year ago. A 16-game win streak was snapped in the West Region final by eventual national champion Western Washington, 2-1 in overtime in Golden, Colo. They won the CCAA Tournament for a second straight and record 10th time, as the top seed. UCSD has only missed that event once, in 2013, since joining the league for the 2000 season. Brian McManus enters his 31st season in charge with the most wins, 484, in NCAA Division II women's soccer history, and 16 shy of a milestone 500.
"The Tritons are a unanimous pick to win the CCAA," CWU Head Coach Mike Farrand said. "Last year they went undefeated in the conference; they are definitely one of the top teams in the country. Brian [McManus] is a great coach and has built a legacy at UC San Diego. The challenge is up to us to compete. We need to concentrate on what we can control, rather than worry about the things we can't."
The Tritons were led by Katie O'Laughlin and Mary Reilly. O'Laughlin sent 16 shots into the back of opponents' nets, and tallied nine assists, for 41 points. The senior striker earned NSCAA All-American First Team honors in her junior campaign, as well D2CCA All-America Second Team honors, D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, NSCAA All-West Region First Team, and CCAA Offensive Player of the Year.
Reilly, meanwhile, was named a D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention, NSCAA All-West Region First Team selection, D2CCA All-West Region First Team selection, and All-CCAA First Team honoree for her efforts. As a sophomore, Reilly scored 13 times, and gathered nine helpers, for 35 points.
"We will see which team can play defense well," Farrand added. "Both sides have returned their top two scorers."
The Wildcats return
Mackenzie Nolte and
Whitney Lowe, who led the Wildcats offense in 2016.
Nolte scored seven goals, and added two assists, for 16 total points. Her seven goals were a team high. Nolte was named to the All-GNAC First Team, D2CCA West Region Second Team, and NSCAA West Region Second Team.
Lowe recorded 12 points with four goals and four assists. She earned selections to the GNAC Honorable Mention squad and NSCAA West Region Third Team.
The Tritons are currently 1-0-0 on the season after defeating Point Loma, X-Y. They jumped out to an early advantage in the second minute after an own goal from Point Loma. Maddy Samilo added an insurance marker in the 44
th minute. O'Laughlin added a third tally in the 78th minute.
The Wildcats head down to San Bernardino following their match against UCSD to take on Cal State San Bernardino in an early morning affair. Kick-off is slated for 8 a.m. due to the extreme heat that has gripped California.
"It's going to be a challenging morning for both teams," Farrand said of his side's 8 a.m. game against Cal State San Bernardino. "They played earlier this week at 8 a.m. and with the heat it's the only viable time. The girls will have to go back to their club days when they played early in the morning."
The Coyotes are 1-0-0 on the season, defeating Cal Baptist in a 2-1 line early on Thursday morning under the direction of third year head coach LeBaron Holliman.
"LeBaron [Holliman] is doing a great job of turning the program around," Farrand noted of the Coyotes' gaffer. "That's one of the reasons we want to play them. They're a strong team and have come a long way under LeBaron."
After finishing 5-10-3 in 2015, Holliman's first season, the Coyotes recovered to an 8-7-2 record in 2016. They started the 2016 season by dropping five of their first six matches. The Coyotes bounced back, playing without a loss for eight games and outscoring their opposition 13-3.
"They beat a good California Baptist team this week, 2-1," Farrand added. "Hopefully we are ready for the match up at 8 a.m. and we are ready to do what we do well."
Junior Rachael Figg returns after leading San Bernardino in goals and points in 2016. Figg notched six goals, and one assist, for 13 points in her sophomore season. Her six goals totaled one-third of San Bernardino's 18 goals.
Senior Susan Ibarra returns as well for the Coyotes after tallying four goals and three assists in 2016, totaling 11 points and good enough for second on the roster.
Kick-off against UCSD is slated for 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday (Sept. 2). Live stats and video are available through UCSD's website,
HERE.
Monday's match against Cal State San Bernardino begins at 8 a.m. Live stats are available through CSUSB's website,
HERE.
