FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lasers collect seven first-place votes

WINTHROP, Mass. – Fresh off its sixth straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship last fall, the Lasell College women’s soccer team received seven first-place votes and 137 points to finish first in the 2016 GNAC Preseason Poll, which was announced by the league office on Wednesday morning.

The Lasers will open up their season at Brandeis on Sunday, September 4. For the complete poll results, please see below.

Johnson & Wales University (RI) finished second with 132 points in the poll, while Emmanuel College was third with 118 points. Both programs collected two first-place votes apiece after squaring off in the 2016 GNAC Tournament Semifinals, with Emmanuel advancing to the finals against Lasell. The Lasers then needed penalty kicks to earn the automatic NCAA berth.

Simmons College took the fourth spot with 111 points and a lone first-place vote, followed by the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) with 97 points.

Albertus Magnus College finished sixth with 83 points, followed by Saint Joseph’s College of Maine with 76 points, Rivier University with 51 points, Suffolk University with 40 points and Norwich University rounding out the top-10 with 30 points. Mount Ida College and Anna Maria College rounded out the poll in the 11th and 12th spots, respectively.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

2016 GNAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Lasell (7) – 137
2. Johnson & Wales (2) – 132
3. Emmanuel (2) – 118
4. Simmons (1) – 111
5. USJ (Conn.) – 97
6. Albertus Magnus – 83
7. Saint Joseph's of Maine – 76
8. Rivier – 51
9. Suffolk – 49
10. Norwich – 30
11. Mount Ida – 29
12. Anna Maria - 23

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