Point Park picked as 2017 RSC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll favorite
NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- Point Park (Pa.) University is the favorite in the 2017 River States Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Pioneers won their second straight conference tournament title last year and led the voting that was conducted by the league's coaches this preseason.
Point Park was 10-8-2 overall, 7-2 RSC last year and brought home another conference championship after finishing second in the 2016 regular season. The Pioneers earned 75 votes in the preseason poll and four of the 10 first-place votes. The Pioneers once again qualified for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round and lost 3-0 to No. 2-ranked Lindsey Wilson.
Asbury (Ky.) University is second in the RSC poll with 67 votes, which included one first-place vote. The Eagles were 10-6-3 overall, 5-2-1 RSC last year and reached the conference semifinals.
Ohio Christian University is close behind with 65 votes and picked third. The Trailblazers tied Point Park for the league-high of four first-place votes. OCU led the conference in overall wins last year at 11-7-2, won the regular-season title at 7-1-1 RSC and played in the conference finals.
WVU Tech came in fourth in the voting and received the remaining first-place vote. The Golden Bears were a playoff team last year at 2-3-3 RSC and received 55 points in the voting.
University of Rio Grande and Carlow (Pa.) University are predicted as the final two playoff qualifiers in fifth and sixth place. Rio Grande received 55 votes, and Carlow earned 41. Cincinnati Christian is not far behind and picked seventh with 39 points coming off a 10-win season.
IU East is picked eighth with 25 points. The Red Wolves are in their first year competing in women's soccer. Midway (Ky.) University is chosen ninth with 22 points followed by Brescia (Ky.) University with 11.
2017 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE WOMEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES' POLL (AUG. 12, 2017)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Votes |
| 1. Point Park (Pa.) (4) | 75 |
| 2. Asbury (Ky.) (1) | 67 |
| 3. Ohio Christian (4) | 65 |
| 4. WVU Tech (1) | 55 |
| 5. Rio Grande (Ohio) | 50 |
| 6. Carlow (Pa.) | 41 |
| 7. Cincinnati Christian | 39 |
| 8. IU East | 25 |
| 9. Midway (Ky.) | 22 |
| 10. Brescia (Ky.) | 11 |