Monmouth Women’s Soccer Selected as MAAC Preseason Favorite; Hawks’ Madie Gibson Tabbed Preseason Player of the Year
Official Press Release (PDF)
EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today that Monmouth University has been selected as the 2017 MAAC Women’s Soccer Preseason favorite, based on a vote by the league’s 11 head coaches. Monmouth, the reigning MAAC Women’s Soccer Champions, received a total of 10 first place votes and 120 points overall. Hawks’ red-shirt sophomore forward Madie Gibson was named the 2017 Preseason Player of the Year.
Monmouth (14-5-2, 9-0-1 MAAC) claimed the MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship for the second time in program history last season and its first since 2013. The Hawks have captured the Regular Season Championship in each of their first four seasons in the MAAC (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). In 2016, Monmouth led the conference in points (171), points per game (8.14), goals (60), goals per game (2.86), assists (51), assists per game (2.43), shutouts (11), corner kicks (153), and corners per game (7.29).
Quinnipiac University placed second in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll with one first place vote and 101 points overall. The Bobcats finished the 2016 campaign (12-7-1, 6-4 MAAC) and advanced to the MAAC Championship game for the first time in program history. Last season, Quinnipiac ranked second in the league in points (125), points per game (6.25), goals (39), goals per game (1.95), assists (47), assists per game (2.35), and shutouts (seven).
Rider University (96) ranked third in the poll, Siena College (95) followed in fourth, and Marist College (71) was picked fifth. Canisius College (57) placed sixth, in seventh place was Manhattan College (53), and Fairfield University (51) in eighth. Niagara University (46), Iona College (25), and Saint Peter’s University (11) rounded out the Preseason Coaches’ Poll in the final three slots.
Gibson earned the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year honor after she claimed the 2016 MAAC Rookie of the Year award. The red-shirt sophomore led the conference in points (33), points per game (1.57), goals (12), and goals per game (0.57) last season. The Cape May, NJ native was named to the All-MAAC First Team, MAAC All-Rookie Team, and MAAC All-Tournament Team in 2016.
The 2017 Preseason All-MAAC Team is comprised of Canisius’ Gretta Dry, Manhattan’s Erica Modena, Marist’s Camille Bowen, Monmouth’s Madie Gibson, and Rider’s Ellie Smith at forward. The midfielders are Monmouth’s Rachelle Ross, Quinnipiac’s Nadya Gill, Siena’s Michele Tremblay, and Madison Vasquez. Monmouth’s Gabriella Cuevas, Rider’s Meghan McCabe, Siena’s Amanda Holtzman, and Hanna Longendyke were selected to the team at back. Monmouth’s Amanda Knaub rounds out the team at goalkeeper. The Hawks and Saints each placed a league-high four student-athletes on the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
The
2017 MAAC Women’s Soccer Championship takes places from October 28-November 1 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL. All 11 MAAC teams compete in the championship for the chance to be named the 2017 MAAC Women’s Soccer Champion. The semifinals and championship game are slated to air on ESPN3.
| Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1. |
Monmouth (10) |
120 |
| 2. |
Quinnipiac (1) |
101 |
| 3. |
Rider |
96 |
| 4. |
Siena |
95 |
| 5. |
Marist |
71 |
| 6. |
Canisius |
57 |
| 7. |
Manhattan |
53 |
| 8. |
Fairfield |
51 |
| 9. |
Niagara |
46 |
| 10. |
Iona |
25 |
| 11. |
Saint Peter's |
11 |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Gretta Dry |
Forward |
Canisius |
| Erica Modena |
Forward |
Manhattan |
| Camille Bowen |
Forward |
Marist |
| Madie Gibson |
Forward |
Monmouth |
| Ellie Smith |
Forward |
Rider |
| Rachelle Ross |
Midfielder |
Monmouth |
| Nadya Gill |
Midfielder |
Quinnipiac |
| Michele Tremblay |
Midfielder |
Siena |
| Madison Vasquez |
Midfielder |
Siena |
| Gabriella Cuevas |
Back |
Monmouth |
| Meghan McCabe |
Back |
Rider |
| Amanda Holtzman |
Back |
Siena |
| Hanna Longendyke |
Back |
Siena |
| Amanda Knaub |
Goalkeeper |
Monmouth |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Madie Gibson |
Forward |
Monmouth |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.