Cobbers Ranked 14th In NSCAA Preseason Poll
MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/09/11)—Concordia will start off the 2012 season right where they left off in 2011 – ranked in the top 20 of the nation. The Cobbers received the No.14 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll it was announced on Thursday. CC was ranked 16th in the final NSCAA poll of the 2011 campaign.
Concordia is coming off a season where they went 13-4-6 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The 13 overall wins marked the eighth consecutive season that the Cobbers have won at least 12 total games on the year. Concordia went 7-1-3 in league play and finished in third place in the conference standings.
The Cobbers return 10 of their 11 starting players from 2011. The 2012 team will be led by All-American forward Sarah Rounds and All-Region goalie Ali Nelson. Rounds became the second player in school history to earn All-American honors. She was named the Co-MVP of the MIAC last season. She finished the year with 15 goals and four assists for 34 total points. Rounds now has 98 career points and is poised to become the sixth player in program history to reach the 100-point barrier. She is currently ranked fifth on the school's all-time goals-scoring list. Nelson has been the team's starting goalie for three straight years. She has earned All-Conference honors for three straight seasons and has posted 29 shutouts during her career.
Concordia will open the 2012 season by playing No.23 UW-Whitewater on Aug.31 at 4 p.m. at St. Scholastica in Duluth. The Cobbers have three non-conference games before opening conference play on Sept. 12 at home against Hamline.