Women's Soccer Predicted 8th in AMCC Preseason Poll
The Alfred State women's soccer team will return to the field for the first time since October 2019. 2021 will be the second year the Pioneers have competed in the AMCC and they were recently predicted to finish 8th in the coaches preseason poll.
The Pioneers won a pair of AMCC matches in 2019. The team did not compete at all during the 2020-21 school year due to COVID but did use the time to practice.
Penn State Behrend is predicted to win the AMCC followed by Pitt Greensburg, Mt. Aloysius, Penn State Altoona, La Roche, Medaille, and Pitt Bradford. Alfred State is predicted 8th followed by Hilbert.
Failyn Lewis-Ellison (Rexville/Whitesville) is counted on to be a leader of the 2021 team. She transferred into Alfred State last school year after making 16 starts at Oswego during her first year as a collegiate student-athlete. Emily Winter (North Collins) scored a pair of goals in 2019 and is the leading scorer returning while Grace Donovan (Elma/Iroquois) had a goal and assist in her first year.
The Pioneers will have a young team as only six of the 24 players on the roster have college playing experience. Another half dozen players were part of the program last year.
The team will face a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare themselves for the AMCC portion of their season. The team opens up against cross county rival Houghton on September 1st before taking on St. Vincent, Wells, and Elmira before starting conference play at Pitt Bradford on September 18th. Non-conference games vs. Penn College and Geneseo are mixed into the conference schedule which concludes in late October. The AMCC Championship will be held November 6th at the site of the highest seed with the winner earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Ashley Lucas of Pitt Greensburg was named the AMCC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Ava Michael of Penn State Behrend was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
