Houghton Women’s Soccer Nationally Ranked
(Houghton,
N.Y.)—The Houghton College women’s soccer team is ranked #17 in
the nation in the preseason poll conducted by the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Highlanders
are the highest-rated of three teams that appear in the
preseason Top 25 list but were not included in last year’s final
regular season rankings.
Houghton returns eight starters to the team that went
13-3-3 (7-0-0 in the American Mideast Conference) last year and
made it into the second round of the NAIA national tournament.
The Highlanders added a number of top recruits in the offseason.
Head Coach David Lewis doesn’t disagree with the poll.
“We’re deep in just about every position,” he says, “I’ve got
four or five players who can play each spot effectively.”
When asked his expectations for the team, he replied: “I
don’t want to put too much pressure on them, but if there’s a
team that has the ingredients to get to the national final four,
this is the team.”
Houghton opens play this year on August 26 at Madonna
University in Livonia, Mich., and follows that with a game the
next day at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids. The
Highlanders have a conference game at Ursuline College in Pepper
Pike, Ohio, on September 3 before their first home game on
September 6 against Hannibal-LaGrange College.
