CORTLAND, N.Y. - For the third straight year the Geneseo Knights were voted No. 1 in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) women's soccer coaches preseason poll with 81 points. Cortland was second with 69 points and Plattsburgh was right behind with 64 points.
Geneseo won its second straight and eighth overall SUNYAC women's soccer title last season. Current head coach Nate Wiley was named the 2018 Women's Soccer Coach of the Year after guiding the Knights to their fourth SUNYAC crown under his leadership. Geneseo finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed (8-1-0) and defeated Cortland, 1-0, in the championship game to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Knights ended their season in a 1-0 double overtime loss against Stevens in the first round.
Cortland finished the 2018 regular season ranked No. 2 (6-2-1). The Red Dragons defeated third seeded Potsdam in the semifinal, 2-0, but fell to the Knights in the championship game. Cortland looks to capture its ninth SUNYAC women's soccer title and first since 2012 under head coach Heidi Axtell.
The Plattsburgh Cardinals entered the 2018 SUNYAC championships ranked fourth (6-3-0), but couldn't get past top seeded Geneseo in the semifinals. Plattsburgh will be fighting for its second SUNYAC women's soccer crown, the first was won in 1998. Tania Armellino will be looking to guide her team to win her first SUNYAC title for the program in her sixth year as head coach. The 2018 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, Allison Seidman (Commack, N.Y.), returns for Plattsburgh.
2019 SUNYAC Women's Soccer Bracket
2019 SUNYAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
- Geneseo, 81
- Cortland, 69
- Plattsburgh, 64
- Potsdam, 59
- Oneonta, 49
- Brockport, 36
- Fredonia, 30
- Oswego, 29
- New Paltz, 17
- Buffalo State, 16
