KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Just over a week before its first exhibition match of the season, the Northwest women's soccer program has notched its first preseason national ranking of the 2023 season.
Northwest checks in at No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches' NJCAA Division II preseason poll, the organization announced early Tuesday evening. The Lady Rangers finished third in last year's rankings, sporting a 15-2-3 overall record and advancing to the NJCAA Division II National Championship tournament, the farthest postseason finish in the program's history.
Coach
James Beattie enters his fourth season leading the Lady Rangers' program, compiling a three-year record of 36-12-4 overall and 16-7-3 in conference play. Beattie has guided Northwest to 15 wins in each of the last two seasons, matching the Lady Rangers' single-season wins record.
Additionally, 10 players have gone on to sign with four-year programs in that span, highlighted by last year's core of
Jennifer Enriquez and
Malaesha Liddell (UT Martin),
Melinda Hernandez (Little Rock) and
Hadleigh Watson (Belhaven). Other four-year signees under Beattie include Molly Rose (Georgia State), Ally Bailey (Christian Brothers) and Tori Dronet (Wayland Baptist University).
Northwest joins several other MACCC schools ranked in the poll, the highest being Holmes at No. 2. The Lady Bulldogs finished as the Region 23 champion last season and joined the Lady Rangers in the NJCAA Division II Championship tournament. Jones College also checked in at No. 5 overall, rounding out MACCC representation.
Last year's national champion, Phoenix College, enters the season ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Spokane Community College at No. 3, closing out the top five.
The NJCAA will release its official preseason poll on Monday, August 14. Northwest will travel to Arkansas State on Friday, Aug. 11 for the first exhibition match, before traveling to St. Louis the weekend of Aug. 19-20, facing Jefferson College and South Suburban College.
All home games this season will be carried on
Ranger TV.
