PRESEASON TOP-25 RELEASE | SANTA CLARA 2020-21 NCAA CHAMPIONS
SAN MATEO, Calif. – Defending NCAA Champion Santa Clara was chosen to repeat and win the program’s 12th West Coast Conference Championship in the annual WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
The preseason poll and the All-WCC team were selected solely by a vote of the conference’s 10 head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.
Santa Clara (9-1-1) captured the second NCAA Championship in program history (2001) and fourth in WCC history when it downed No. 1 Florida State in penalty kicks in the College Cup Final. The Broncos enter the 2021 Fall season ranked No. 2 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll and earned 80 points in the coaches balloting.
BYU (11-4-1), the only team to secure a victory against the Broncos during the Spring season, were picked second in the poll with 74 points and enter the year ranked No. 15 in the top-25. The Cougars earned a No. 12 national seed in the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament.
Pepperdine (6-5-1) was picked third with 65 points after spending the bulk of last season in the top-25. The Waves are in the “Receiving Votes” category this preseason. Last year, Gonzaga (7-3-1) received national top-25 votes in multiple weeks and was picked fourth with 54 points.
Fifth through seventh was separated by a total of 11 points. Portland was picked fifth (49 points), Saint Mary’s was sixth (39 points) and San Francisco was seventh (38 points).
ALL-WCC PRESEASON TEAM NOTES
- Eight of 11 members of the squad earned All-WCC First Team honors in the 2020-21 Spring Season
- Only two sophomores cracked the list: 2020-21 WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Taylor Poland (Saint Mary’s) and 2020-21 WCC Freshman of the Year Sally Menti
- All four 2020-21 WCC Major Individual honorees return for the 2021 Fall campaign: BYU’s Mikayla Colohan (Offensive Player of the Year), Santa Clara’s Alex Loera (Defender of the Year), Menti (Freshman) and Poland (Goalkeeper)
- The Preseason All-WCC squad features eight seniors and seven of them are “COVID Seniors” who elected to participate in a “bonus” year offered by the NCAA as a result of the pandemic
- Three All-Americans return for the WCC this season – Colohan (First), Loera (Second) and Santa Clara’s Kelsey Turnbow (Third)
- Santa Clara’s Loera won the 2020-21 Honda Award for women’s soccer, presented to the top student-athlete in the sport
- Loera (Defensive) and Turnbow (Offensive) collected major individual College Cup honors after leading the Broncos to the program’s second NCAA Championship
- Seven returning United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections return to the pitch for the WCC this season and all earned Preseason All-WCC honors
- BYU: Colohan, Jamie Shepard, Cameron Tucker
- Pepperdine: Joelle Anderson
- Santa Clara: Izzy D’Auila, Loera & Turnbow
2021 WCC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll (FALL)
| Place |
Team |
First Place |
Points |
| 1. |
No. 2 Santa Clara |
8 |
80 |
| 2. |
No. 15 BYU |
2 |
74 |
| 3. |
RV Pepperdine |
|
65 |
| 4. |
Gonzaga |
|
54 |
| 5. |
Portland |
|
49 |
| 6. |
Saint Mary’s |
|
39 |
| 7. |
San Francisco |
|
38 |
| 8. |
LMU |
|
19 |
| 9. |
San Diego |
|
17 |
| 10. |
Pacific |
|
15 |
| 2021 All-WCC Women's Soccer Preseason Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Pos. |
| Joelle Anderson |
Pepperdine |
Sr.* |
M |
| Mikayla Colohan |
BYU |
Sr.* |
M |
| Izzy D'Aquila |
Santa Clara |
Jr. |
M |
| Alex Loera |
Santa Clara |
Sr.* |
D/M |
| Sally Menti |
Santa Clara |
So. |
F |
| Taylor Poland |
Saint Mary’s |
So. |
GK |
| Taryn Ries |
Portland |
Sr.* |
F |
| Jordan Thompson |
Gonzaga |
Sr.* |
D |
| Cameron Tucker |
BYU |
Sr.* |
F |
| Kelsey Turnbow |
Santa Clara |
Sr.* |
F |
| Trinity Watson |
Pepperdine |
Sr. |
D |