SUNY COBLESKILL WOMEN’S SOCCER OPENS YEAR RANKED SIXTH IN NAC WESTERN DIVISION COACHES POLL

Cobleskill, N.Y.: The SUNY Cobleskill women’s soccer team will open the 2022 season ranked sixth in the initial North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Western Division Coaches Poll. Under the direction of first-year head coach Chukwuma Asala the Fighting Tigers make their return to the pitch for the first-time post Covid.

After the program being on hiatus since 2020 the new Fighting Tiger Head Coach sees the pre-season ranking as expected but is looking at the season as a chance to take the program in a new direction.

“I want us to grow as a program and establish a culture that can develop into a NAC Championship caliber program.” Said Asala. “Covid and the coach leaving last year prior to the pre-season really did a number on us. A lot of programs struggled with these situations, but we were decimated. So, this year we are starting from scratch and making this a total rebuilding year.”

This year’s edition of the Orange & Black will feature a pair of players who were a part of the Fighting Tigers prior to the pandemic. Junior defender Lilah Ward, Arlington, Vt., Arlington Memorial High School, returns as does senior forward Julia Howard, Elizaville, N.Y., Germantown High School/Monroe College, who scored three goals in 2019 returning to Cobleskill after a stint at junior college power Monroe College.

Among the newcomers the Cobleskill will be counting on first-year midfielder Jessica Carney, Hopkinton, N.H., Hopkinton High School, a New Hampshire All-State Team selection who has shown creativity in the midfield and first-year forward Ashlynn DeRonda, Saugerties, N.Y., Saugerties High School, a speedy forward who can put pressure on the opposition’s defense.

Between the pipes, the Fighting Tigers will initially look to the goalie tandem of sophomore Alexis Minnoe, Syracuse, N.Y., Cicero-North Syracuse High School, and first-year Brianna Rogers, Canton, N.Y., Hugh C. Williams High School, top protect the net.

Cobleskill will open the season on Thursday September 2 when they travel to Morrisville, N.Y. for a non-league meeting with the Mustangs of Morrisville State College beginning at 8:00 p.m.

2022 NAC Women’s Soccer Coaches Poll Results:

Western Division Standings

Rank	Team	Points
1.	SUNY Delhi	33 (4)*
T-2.	Cazenovia College	26 (1)*
T-2.	SUNY Canton	26 (1)*
4.	Northern Vermont Johnson	17
5.	SUNY Polytechnic Institute	15
6.	SUNY Cobleskill	9

*Denotes First Place Votes

Eastern Division Standings

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Husson University	35 (5)*
2.	University of Maine-Farmington	27 (1)*
3.	Thomas College	24
4.	Maine Maritime Academy	22
5.	University of Maine-Presque Isle	10
6.	Northern Vermont-Lyndon	8