NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- A dominant run at the top of the conference preseason coaches poll continues for top-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer, as CNU was selected as the preseason favorite for the eighth consecutive season on Tuesday morning. Since the poll was created in 2014 no other team has been selected to win the conference and the 2022 campaign proved no different as the reigning national champions were unanimous picks at number one again. 

Under the direction of second-year head coach Jamie Gunderson, the Captains garnered all seven possible first-place votes as coaches do not vote for their own team. UC Santa Cruz (39 pts) earned the remaining first-place vote and edged out Mary Washington (38 pts) for the number two spot in the rankings. From there, Salisbury (29 pts) and Pratt (23 pts) round out the top five and are followed in order by Finlandia (22 pts), newcomer Warren Wilson (15 pts), and Mount Mary (9 pts). 

Since joining the Capital Athletic Conference in 2013, now rebranded as the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference, the Christopher Newport women's soccer team has won seven of eight regular season titles and reached the NCAA Tournament seven times with four conference championships. This season, the Captains carry a 23-game unbeaten streak into the year after capping a perfect 22-0-1 record last year with the program's first-ever national championship. 

The Captains return nine of the starting eleven from the 2021 national championship team including All-Americans Sarah Smith and Jill McDonald. Smith will lead the attack after ranking second on the team in scoring a year ago with 21 points and five game-winning goals. McDonald will anchor a back line that allowed just seven goals last season with all four starters returning. 

In the midfield, fifth-year senior Abby Harrigan is back in the fold after earning All-Region honors last season. Kenna McCarthy, who started 13 games in her first year, and Ellie Cox, who started nine times, are also back while veterans Jessica Zimmermann and Emily Talotta solidified the starting unit on the outside. 

As a team, CNU ranked fourth nationally in goals-against average (0.300) and save percentage (.908) while aso featuring an offense that ranked in the top-50 nationally in scoring (2.70). The Captains led the country in win-loss percentage across all three divisions of NCAA play with a .978 mark. 

Defense of the 2021 title begins on September 2 as the Captains open the year against the College of Saint Benedict in the Virginia Wesleyan Marlin Tournament in Virginia Beach. CNU will then take on McDaniel College on September 4 to wrap up the opening weekend. 

For the complete preseason poll release by the conference office, click here. 
 

2022 C2C Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
Rank	Institution	Points (1st)
1.	Christopher Newport	49 (7)
2.	UC Santa Cruz	39 (1)
3.	Mary Washington	38
4.	Salisbury	29
5.	Pratt	23
6.	Finlandia	22
7	Warren Wilson	15
8	Mount Mary	9