Golden Bears Selected Eighth in CCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Western New England returns four of top five leading scorers from last fall
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (August 21, 2017) – The Western New England University women's soccer team has been picked eighth in the 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released on Monday afternoon.
Roger Williams University was selected as the preseason favorite with 94 points and five of the possible ten first place votes. Endicott College collected the five remaining first place tallies and finished second with 93 points, while Wentworth (83), the University of New England (67) and Curry (50) rounded out the top five.
The remaining spots in the poll went to Salve Regina (47), Gordon (46), Western New England (39), Nichols (17), and Eastern Nazarene (14).
Western New England reached the CCC Tournament last fall in the first season under the direction of Kristin (Thornton) Hensinger '07, a 2015 Downes Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. The Golden Bears will look to take another step forward this season with four of their top five leading scorers from last season returning.
Senior forward Brooke Labrie (Granby, Mass.), a 2016 All-CCC third team honoree, is back to help lead the offense after tying for the team lead with ten points (two goals, four assists) last fall. In 39 career matches, Labrie has totaled 22 points with nine goals and four assists.
Senior midfielders Danielle Dixon (Plainville, Conn.) and Christina Delude (Belchertown, Mass.) and senior forward Iman Shehemi (Feeding Hills, Mass.) will also play key roles for the Golden Bears offensively, while junior Erin Grimes (Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Julia Sarnelli (Island Park, N.Y.) will look to anchor the defense.
Western New England opens its season on the road with a pair of matches at the Hartwick College Tournament on September 1-2, before making the short trip to city rival Springfield College on September 6. The Golden Bears kick off their home slate against New Paltz State on September 9, while CCC play gets underway at the University of New England on September 16.
