IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine women's soccer team certainly left a good impression in last year's NCAA DII playoffs.
The nationally-ranked Golden Eagles were voted the favorites in the PacWest Conference Preseason Poll this week and return a large portion of their starting XI that won two postseason matches in Hawaii a year ago.
No. 17 CUI narrowly edged No. 14 Hawaii Hilo and No. 18 Point Loma with all three squads earning high marks and multiple first-place votes from the league's coaches.
For the full rankings of the women's soccer PacWest Preseason Poll,
CLICK HERE
In addition to that high praise, four CUI women's soccer players were named to the Preseason PacWest All-Conference Team.
Centennial High School alumni
Gabby Breton and
Layla Comeaux are joined by fellow seniors
Riley Walkington and
Brianna Guerra – and all four of them were on last year's All-Conference Team as well.
Breton and Comeaux both made Second Team All-PacWest the past two seasons and are crucial in building attacks and snuffing out threats on the back end.
Walkington returns as the leading goal scorer and has a knack for scoring at clutch times. She will always have fond memories of her game-winning goal against the UHH Vulcans in the regional playoffs last fall. She has been named Third Team and First Team All-Conference the past two years.
Fellow standout
Brianna Guerra is also coming off a Third Team selection and her booming kicks are an added weapon for the Golden Eagles in a variety of ways.
CUI kicks off the regular season with its home opener this Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. against No. 24 Cal State Los Angeles. After the Battle of the Golden Eagles that evening, CUI will then host defending national champion and No.1 Western Washington on home turf in a highly-anticipated rematch of last year's regional playoff match.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's soccer schedule
