Tartan Women’s Soccer Ranked 19th in United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's soccer team will start the year ranked nationally for the fourth straight year, as the Tartans received a ranking of 19th in the 2024 Preseason Top 25 Poll released by the United Soccer Coaches.
The Tartans finished the 2023 season in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament with a record of 12-1-6. The team started the year ranked eighth and by week four were the number one team in the nation after accumulating a record of 9-0 with just two goals against and seven shutouts. They won their next two games via shutouts before a six-game streak of tying University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents, four of which were ranked in the top 25, to end the regular season.
"We were disappointed with how the season ended and have been putting in the work all off-season to come back stronger," said head coach Yon Struble. "We're looking forward to having our deep class of returners with enthusiastic difference makers in our newcomers on campus this week for preseason to get ready for our season-opener at No. 3 Messiah University."
Carnegie Mellon returns nine seniors and two graduate students and has a class of seven juniors. The top five goal scorers from last year are back with graduate student Cecelia Dieterich leading the midfield after scoring seven goals last year and being named to the United Soccer Coaches Region 7 second team. Senior Maria Askounis scored two game winners last year and was the UAA Rookie of the Year in 2021. Sophomore Natalie Rayce and Saveria Ulizzi scored five and four goals, respectively, while senior Gemma Jefferson put in four goals as a midfielder. Junior Abby O'Connor is back after starting 17 of 18 games in goal last year. She recorded a 0.42 goals-against average and was named to the 2023 Division III Women's Soccer All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team.
After opening the season at Messiah, the Tartans will host 20th-ranked William Smith College on the first day of the Tartan Cup on Saturday, September 7.