Women's Soccer: WVU Picked Second
August 05, 2005 10:27 AM | General
August 5, 2005
 |
||
| Kanela |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - In voting conducted by the league’s coaches, the West Virginia University women’s soccer team has been picked to finish second in its division.
The BIG EAST, now the largest women’s soccer conference in the nation with 16 teams, returns to divisions in 2005. The Mountaineers, who received three first-place votes, were selected to finish behind 2004 champion Connecticut in Division A.
Reigning national champion Notre Dame was selected to win Division B.
Additionally, two Mountaineers, senior Marisa Kanela and sophomore Ashley Banks, earned spots on the conference’s preseason team. West Virginia and Notre Dame were the only schools to have multiple players make the preseason all-BIG EAST squad.
Kanela, a Wantagh, N.Y., native, led the Mountaineers in scoring from her center midfield position last fall with 11 goals and four assists. She was a second-team all-region and second team all-BIG EAST honoree in 2004.
A native of Annandale, Va., Banks was the 2004 BIG EAST co-rookie of the year and a freshman All-America selection after an eight-goal, eight-assist freshman campaign.
West Virginia, looking for its sixth-straight NCAA tournament appearance, opens the 2005 season on Friday, Aug. 26, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium when it plays host to Dayton at 7 p.m.
The complete preseason poll can be found at www.bigeast.org.
