FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                
Contact: John Higgins (jhiggins@iona.edu)

July 31, 2014

EDISON, NJ - The Iona College women's soccer team has been selected to finish fifth in the conference by the league's head coaches following the announcement of the 2014 MAAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll.

The Gaels accumlated 76 points, sitting in a fifth place tie with Rider. The 76 points are a 12 point increase from a season ago when the Maroon & Gold took seventh in the preseason rankings. Iona finished the 2013 regular season third in the MAAC.

Regining conference champion, Monmouth, was voted to repeat as champions, as they collected 118 points in the poll. Fairfield finished second in the poll with 113 points, followed by Siena in third with 83. To round out the top five, Marist finished fourth with 80 points, followed by Iona and Rider. Quinnipiac finished in seventh, earning 57 points, while Niagara garnered 46, good for eighth. Canisius and Manhattan tied for ninth with 32 points, while Saint Peter's capped off the poll, receiving 13 points.

Senior defender Sali Ayinde was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team, after anchoring an Iona defense that allowed the second fewest goals in a single season in the last 15 years in 2013. Ashley Small of Fairfield was selected as the 2014 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.

The Gaels are set to begin their 2014 campaign on Friday, August 22 at LIU Brookyln under second year head coach Linda Hathorn. The 2014 MAAC Championship begins with first round play on Nov. 1, 2014. The MAAC Championship is slated for Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014.