This continues our series of daily articles previewing each men's and women's college conference. All the conference previews can be found here.

Today we evaluate the Patriot and Metro Atlantic conferences, as we take a look at some perennial powerhouses on the women’s side.

Patriot League

Colgate reestablished itself as the dominant force in the Patriot League in 2009, winning its 11th conference championship. Despite a 5-0 loss to Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Raiders will challenge for the league title again in 2010, with senior defender Calista Victor and sophomore goalkeeper Ashley Walsh leading the way.

After falling to Colgate in the conference final in December, the women of American are primed for another deep playoff run, with 2009 Defensive Player of the Year Frederike Engel anchoring the back and Brooke Sheppard creating chances in the midfield.

Army won the league championship in 2008 but stumbled to a 7-10-2 record in 2009. Goalkeeper Alex Lostetter kept her team in most games with steady play, but in 2010, Army will need some young talent to step up and light a fire under a somewhat stagnant attack.

Bucknell will look to build on a promising 2009 campaign that saw forward Christa Matlack burst onto the national scene with nine goals. With talented midfielders Caitlin Holtz and Kellian Doherty working the ball behind her, there should be plenty of fireworks from the Bisons in 2010.

After a disappointing season for Holy Cross 2009, it remains unclear who will shoulder the scoring load in 2010. Midfielder Katherine Donnelly is a good place to start, but there are plenty of questions surrounding her supporting cast.

The good news for Lafayette in 2010 is that there is nowhere to go but up. A 0-7 record in 2009 conference play saw the Leopards hit rock bottom, and they’re hoping incoming freshmen Rachel Baer and Avery Jackson can instill new life in a toothless attack.

The 2009 season saw Lehigh make great strides as a team, highlighted by a 4-1 throttling of eventual champion Colgate, but they will need some youngsters to step up in 2010. With senior standouts Liz Carlos and Hailey Coonrad graduating, the onus will be on the underclassmen to produce.

Already being touted as a preseason Patriot League favorite, Navy returns a formidable roster in 2010. Senior forwards Carissa Youker and Christine Calderon lead an explosive attack that looks primed to carry Navy to the top of the charts in 2010.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Defending champion Loyola (MD) has some big shoes to fill, with MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Theresa Ferraina and Defensive POY Brittany Henderson departing after their senior seasons. But steady midfielders Lina Staropoli and Kelly Farrell will ensure that Loyola avoids a letdown.

After a successful 13-4-3 2009 campaign, the women of Canisius will need to fill a huge void left by the departed Sylvia Kowalski, the MAAC leading scorer in 2009 with 14 goals. But the Griffins have a solid foundation in place with juniors Jenny Griffin and Kelly Reinwald leading the way.

Fairfield will look to build on a 2009 season that saw them earn a third place in the MAAC, and their efforts in 2010 will be aided in large part by the return of junior standouts Alyssa Decker and Jasmin Corniel.

While offensively-challenged Iona College(w) might not be the most dynamic team in the conference, their defense remains rock-solid. Senior defender Diane Hare and sophomore midfielder Gabby D’Aprile will keep Iona in the hunt in 2010.

Manhattan coach Coach Brendan Lawler will try to move his squad forward after a mediocre 2009 season, but he’ll have his hands full trying to replace departed team leaders like Jill Beauchamp and Courtney McMahon.

Marist’s middling 2009 campaign was followed by the departure of senior goalscorer Kate Fox. Still, promising rookie years by Nicole Kuhar and Jaclynn Sabia have Marist thinking big in 2010.

Niagara sophomores Jamie Reapple and Julianne Viviano will try to fill the leadership void left by departed senior midfielder Chiara Greco as they look to improve on their uninspiring 10-10-1 record in 2009.

Rider University fans didn’t have much to get excited about after 2009’s 7-11-1 finish, but the return of dynamic senior Lauren Musumeci gives the Broncos a steady presence in the midfield. Still, coach Drayton Hounsome will need other veteran players to step up and produce.

After allowing 39 goals in 2009 and only scoring 14, St. Peter's(w) will need its promising sophomore class, led by goalkeeper Caitlin Hoffer and midfielder Kaitlin Bondra, to shine for them to have any chance of making a playoff run.

Siena College’s strong second-place finish in 2009 and its extremely talented junior class (featuring Shannon Clancy, Maren Serafine and Lindsey Tegas among others) gives coach Steve Karbowski an excellent foundation to again contend for the MAAC title this fall.