BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team will open the 2022 season with a national top-10 ranking in the NCAA Division II Preseason Poll announced Tuesday by United Soccer Coaches.
The Vikings are listed No. 10 in the preseason top 25, picking up where the program was ranked following the conclusion of the 2021 season. WWU has now earned a national preseason ranking in each of the last nine seasons and has a current string of appearing in 76 consecutive national polls dating back to the 2014 season. Including polls where the Vikings received votes, WWU has been present in each of the last 101 polls stretching back to the middle of the 2012 season.
Western is one of four West Region programs to earn a preseason national ranking, joining No. 5 Seattle Pacific University, No. 20 Sonoma State and No. 22 Point Loma. The Vikings will face their GNAC rival Falcons twice during the regular season and play one game each against No. 20 Sonoma State and No. 22 Point Loma.
WWU finished the 2021 season with a 15-5-3 overall record and placed 2nd in the GNAC with a 10-3-1 mark in conference play. The Vikings played in their sixth consecutive West Region Championship match and have advanced to the NCAA II Championships in each of the last nine seasons. Over the last 10 seasons (which includes an abbreviated seven-match 2020-21 spring season), head coach
Travis Connell has led the Vikings to a 178-23-14 (.860) record with four trips to the NCAA II Final Four.
The Vikings return 16 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad, including second-team All-American midfielder
Tera Ziemer, All-GNAC defender
Katie Watt and forwards
Dayana Diaz and
Estera Levinte.
The 2022 Vikings are scheduled to report for preseason practices this weekend and open a three-match exhibition schedule August 11 with a cross-border friendly at Trinity Western in Langley, BC. The official start to the 2022 season will feature a home match on Thursday, August 25 vs. the University of Puget Sound at Harrington Field, with kickoff at 4 pm. The complete 2022 schedule can be viewed online via
wwuvikings.com/22_WSOC.
UNITED SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL
Here is a look at the 2022 NCAA Division II United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll (records shown are final from 2021 season):
| Rk |
School |
Prev |
W-L-T |
| 1. |
Grand Valley State |
1 |
24-1-2 |
| 2. |
Saint Rose |
2 |
18-2-4 |
| 3. |
Dallas Baptist |
3 |
20-4-0 |
| 4. |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
4 |
12-6-5 |
| 5. |
Seattle Pacific |
5 |
19-2-1 |
| 6. |
Central Missouri |
6 |
20-4-1 |
| 7. |
Lee |
7 |
19-0-1 |
| 8. |
Colorado-Colorado Springs |
8 |
19-4-0 |
| 9. |
Bemidji State |
9 |
19-2-3 |
| 10. |
Western Washington |
10 |
15-5-3 |
| 11. |
Flagler |
11 |
17-2-2 |
| 12. |
Concord |
12 |
19-1-3 |
| 13. |
Kutztown |
13 |
17-1-2 |
| 14. |
Emporia State |
14 |
19-3-0 |
| 15. |
Columbus State |
15 |
19-3-1 |
| 16. |
West Chester |
16 |
12-5-3 |
| 17. |
Ferris State |
17 |
15-3-4 |
| 18. |
Florida Tech |
18 |
10-3-9 |
| 19. |
Minnesota State-Mankato |
19 |
18-3-2 |
| 20. |
Sonoma State |
20 |
15-6-0 |
| 21. |
Catawba |
21 |
18-0-3 |
| 22. |
Point Loma |
22 |
13-2-2 |
| 23. |
Molloy |
23 |
18-3-0 |
| 24. |
Saginaw Valley State |
24 |
14-6-3 |
| 25. |
Angelo State |
25 |
16-5-2 |
