INDIANAPOLIS – The Drury women's soccer Panthers have been picked to finish sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll of league coaches released on Thursday.

Coach Alf Bilbao's Panthers finished 10-5-3 last year, including an 8-4-3 mark in GLVC play to qualify once again for the league's post-season tournament. The Panthers, who were 8-0-2 last season at Harrison Stadium/Curry Sports Complex, will open the season on Thursday, September 3 against Missouri Southern at the Cooper Soccer Complex (5 p.m.) before hosting Lindenwood on Saturday, September 5 at Harrison/Curry (7:30 p.m.).

Drury returns three of its top four goal scorers from last season in senior forward and First Team All-GLVC choice Emily Cline (six goals, eight assists for team-leading 20 points), senior forward Mariah Gove (six goals, two assists, 14 points) and senior midfielder/defender and All-GLVC pick Ciara O'Brien (four goals, one assist, 9 points), part of a group of eight players who started at least 14 matches last season. A defense that posted six shutouts last season is paced by returning senior All-GLVC defender Paige Westbrook and sophomore keeper Tina Haberberger.

Bellarmine has been chosen by the league coaches to win the 2015 GLVC Championship. The Knights, who finished the 2014 campaign with a 14-4-3 record, earned the lion's share of first-place votes with nine of 16 and 219 total points in the GLVC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll.

Rockhurst University (196 points) was picked second, while Truman State University (188) garnered three first-place votes for the third slot. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside (184) tallied the remaining four first-place votes to come in at No. 4, and Quincy University (170) rounds out the top-five positions. 

The Knights return to the pitch under the direction of second-year mentor Chris Tinius, who had a breakout first year in Louisville, leading his 2014 squad to a second-place finish in the league at 11-1-3. He also guided the group to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, advancing to the Midwest Region Semifinals and became the winningest first-year coach at Bellarmine. On the field, a trio of juniors returns to pave the way, including All-GLVC and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Midwest region midfielder Lauren Holder, All-GLVC goalkeeper Hannah Poteet and 2014 Knights leader in points and goals, forward Mary Beth Gorham, who was also named a first-team All-GLVC and NSCAA All-Midwest Region selection.

Since 1999, Greg Herdlick has guided the women's soccer program in Kansas City, accumulating 10 GLVC Championship Tournament appearances and most recently berthed a spot in the NCAA Tournament three-straight years from 2011-13, while having appeared in four of the last seven. The 2014 Hawks were 14-2-3 overall and 11-2-2 in league action with the help of reigning GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, GLVC Scharf Paragon Award Winner, and NCAA Woman of the Year nominee Taylor Skala, who led the loop in points and goals. With the graduated Skala gone from the Rockhurst roster, 2014 All-GLVC and NSCAA All-Midwest Region midfielders Julia Bartolacci and Courtney Silberberg will look to fill the void with the help of their returning teammates.

The Bulldogs produced a 13-5-2 campaign last season, going 10-3-2 in the league with a GLVC Championship Tournament Semifinal appearance. The winningest coach in TSU women's soccer history, Mike Cannon, is in his 23rd season at the helm and has directed 66 NSCAA All-Region players and seven All-Americans in that span. One such honoree is senior Alexis Hefferman, who was an All-GLVC, Daktronics All-Midwest Region and NSCAA All-Midwest Region First Teamer a year ago, and she will be back on the pitch controlling the Truman midfield.

Despite winning the 2014 GLVC regular season and Championship Tournament titles, UW-Parkside came in fourth in the poll this time around, but is the lone GLVC school ranked in the NSCAA National Preseason Poll at No. 9. First-year head coach Brittany Nikolic replaces 17-year UWP veteran and reigning GLVC Coach of the Year Troy Fabiano, who led his 2014 contingent to an 18-1-3 record and a 12-0-3 undefeated GLVC mark. With the firepower lost from last year's banner campaign, the Rangers will be looking for new leaders to step up in 2015.

Drury University (168), Lewis University (133), Missouri S&T (116), University of Missouri-St. Louis (108) and McKendree University (94) come in spots 6-10, while Maryville University and William Jewell College tied for 11th with 80 points apiece. The University of Indianapolis (76) ranks 13th, while University of Southern Indiana (61), University of Illinois Springfield (32) and Saint Joseph's College (15) respectively rounded out the final three spots in the poll.

Be sure to follow @GLVCsports on Twitter and Instagram – hashtag #GLVCwsoc – and stay tuned for select coverage throughout the season on the GLVC Sports Network at GLVCsports.com/watch.
 

2015 GLVC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
Place	Institution	Total (First Place Votes)
1	Bellarmine	219 (9)
2	Rockhurst	196
3	Truman State	188 (3)
4	UW-Parkside	184 (4)
5	Quincy	170
6	Drury	168
7	Lewis	133
8	Missouri S&T	116
9	Missouri-St. Louis	108
10	McKendree	94
11	Maryville	80
	William Jewell	80
13	Indianapolis	76
14	Southern Indiana	61
15	Illinois Springfield	32
16	Saint Joseph's	15