The Case Western Reserve University women's soccer team ranked second in the 2023 Preseason Top 25 Poll released by the United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday.
The Spartans completed the best season in program history in 2022, finishing as the national runner-up to Johns Hopkins. CWRU ended the season with a 20-1-1 overall record, not losing a match until the national championship and setting a program record for wins. The team also captured its first-ever University Athletic Association championship after ending the conference schedule with a record of 6-0-1.
The rank of second ties the best-ever ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for CWRU after the team placed second in the final poll of the 2022 season.
Case Western Reserve returns four members of the team who started all 22 matches last season, including senior goalkeeper Maggie Storti, senior midfielder/forward Helina VanBibber, senior forward Aniya Hartzler, and junior defender Katie Rishel. In addition, junior forward Carolyn Koutures, sophomore midfielders Jamie Goldfarb and Mackenzie Mueller, and sophomore forward Maggie Farra will take the field for the 2023 squad after each appearing in at least 20 matches last season.
CWRU opens the season with a home match against John Carroll University, facing the Blue Streaks on DiSanto Field on Friday, September 1 at 7 p.m. Of the teams ranked in the preseason poll, the Spartans will face #5 Misericordia University on September 8, #14 Emory on October 7, #10 WashU on October 22, and #8 Carnegie Mellon in the regular season finale on November 4.
