Point Park picked 2nd of 11 teams in RSC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Point Park University women's soccer is picked second of 11 teams in the 2023 River States Conference Women's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll. It was a split vote at the top with Point Park and IU Kokomo each getting four first-place votes from the coaches and RSC newcomer Shawnee State (Ohio) getting three first-place nods. 

Point Park, coming off its 2022 RSC regular-season championship and undefeated conference regular season, earned 87 total votes in the polling. IU Kokomo, the RSC Championship winner a year ago, received 93 total votes. Shawnee State comes over from the Mid-South Conference and earned 85 votes. 

The Pioneers, under second-year head coach Kelly Raddar, were 10-6-2 overall and undefeated 9-0-1 RSC in 2022. The Pioneers return nine starters from the 2022 team, and they brought in a big group of recruits. It is the first group of recruits under coach Raddar, who took over Aug. 6, 2022. The Pioneers have more than 40 players on the roster to add talent and depth in all areas. 

Point Park's nine returning starters include six all-conference selections from last year: F Holly Pascoe (first team), M Mireya Rojas (first team), D Gilliane Stewardson (first team), D Alina Bigec (second team), GK Ella Serlin (second team) and F Chanell Britten (second team). 

There will be 11 teams in RSC women's soccer this year. Indiana University East placed fourth in the poll with 77 votes coming off an RSC semifinals appearance a year ago. Last year's postseason runner-up University of Rio Grande (Ohio) came in fifthin the poll with 63 votes. The final three of the eight predicted playoff teams in the poll were Brescia (Ky.) University (46 votes), St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) College (39) and Midway (Ky.) University. See below for the complete poll. 

2023 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE WOMEN'S SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL (AUG. 11)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)