FREELAND, Mich. -- The Trine women's soccer team was picked to finish eighth in the MIAA Preseason Poll, released this afternoon.
The Thunder received votes totaling 60 points to tie for eighth with Saint Mary's. The point totals were tallied from votes cast by the league's coaches, who could not vote for their own team. Trine placed ninth in the conference last fall with a roster made up mostly of underclassmen. The Thunder will look to continued improvement from eight returning starters, as well as contributions from newcomers to make a climb up the conference standings.
Juniors Carly Osinski (Noblesville, Ind. / Guerin Catholic) and Gigi Jarratt (Valparaiso, Ind. / Valparaiso) return as Trine's leading scorers from last year. Osinski has led the team in shots on goal each of her first two seasons. Captain Erica Hoot (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Carroll) also returns as a key contributor for the Thunder.
Seniors Katie Wilson (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) and Megan Ulrich (Saline, Mich. / Saline) bring significant starting experience to Trine's defensive efforts. Ulrich has started more games in her career than any player on the Thunder roster. Haley Dettman (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead) started 14 games as a freshman last fall.
Starting goalkeeper Kristina Veljovic (Valparaiso, Ind. / Valparaiso) also returns after leading the MIAA in saves last season. She owns a career .816 save percentage.
Trine opens the season Thursday, Sep. 1 with a 7 p.m. match against Anderson in Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium. Pregame activities will be available for students. To learn more about these events, visit THIS PAGE.
The Thunder open the season with four-straight home matches, including MIAA contests against Calvin and Kalamazoo. CLICK HERE to view the schedule.
The complete results of the MIAA Preseason Poll are listed below.
MIAA Preseason Poll
Place. Team - Points (First-place votes)
1. Hope - 10 (6)
2. Kalamazoo - 22 (1)
3. Calvin - 23 (2)
4. Albion - 31
5. Alma - 33
6. Adrian - 42
7. Olivet - 43
T8. Trine - 60
T8. Saint Mary's - 60