Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance a season ago, The University of Scranton women’s soccer team is ranked 10th in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 that was unveiled by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.
The Royals are the only Landmark Conference team to receive recognition in the poll.
Defending national champion Christopher Newport sits atop the poll, while the rest of the Top 10 is as follows: TCNJ, Loras, Wesleyan (Conn.), William Smith, MIT, Misericordia, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins and Scranton.
Click this link to view the full preseason Top 25.
In 2021, the Royals put together a historic 18-1-1 campaign and captured a second straight Landmark Conference Championship. Led by Landmark Coach of the Year Colleen Pivirotto, they notched NCAA Tournament victories over Nazareth (3-0) and SUNY Geneseo (1-0) before falling to eventual national runner-up TCNJ by a 3-1 score in the Sweet 16.
Rising senior Teresa Hegarty (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Merion Mercy Academy) earned USC All-American Third Team honors a season ago and returns to anchor the midfield for the Royals, while rising junior Niamh Healy (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) led the Landmark Conference in goals (10) and nabbed Rookie of the Year honors. As a whole, Scranton returns eight players that scored three or more goals in 2021.
Scranton will open the 2022 season against Kean as part of the Stockton University Tournament on Sept. 3 before returning home to host Marywood in the home opener on Sept. 7.
Later in September, the Royals will battle No. 7 Misericordia in a Top 10 showdown on Sept. 28 at Weiss Field.
Pivirotto’s team will take on three teams that also played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago with the Cougars, Stevens (Sept. 17) and Farmingdale State (Oct. 5).
Click here to view the full 2022 Scranton women’s soccer schedule.
Original source can be found here.
