EDISON, NJ -  The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has announced the 2018 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll & All-MAAC Team. The Iona College women's soccer team has been voted 10th in the poll. 

The defending MAAC regular season and tournament champions Monmouth are the unanimous preseason favorite. Quinnipiac placed second in the coaches' poll with 99 points, and they are followed closely by the Siena Saints. Manhattan, Rider and Fairfield round out the top six. Marist is voted seventh with 54 points, trailed by Niagara and Canisius. The Gaels earns 27 points in the poll and rank ahead of Saint Peter's.

The Hawks have a league-best six student-athletes on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Madie Gibson, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, leads Monmouth's attack on the preseason team and she is joined by Fairfield's Alex Madden and Manhattan's Arianna Montefusco. The coaches voted the Jasper Emma Saul and Rider's Valeria Pascuet alongside Hawk midfielders Alli Deluca and Lexie Palladino. The three defenders on the preseason team are Marist's Nicolle Sasso, Monmouth's Anna Lazur and Siena's Amanda Holtzmann. Hawks' Amanda Knaub is the preseason All-MAAC goalkeeper.

Head coach Sarah Brady begins her third season with a veteran midfield returning in addition to 12 newcomers. Seniors Mariana Jaramillo and Megan Wood patrol the middle while a backline that features the graduate student Christine Rebus and sophomore Kelsie Kearns now has strong incoming talent like redshirt freshman Mackenzie Meixner and true rookie Andrea Ferrer.

The full MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and Preseason All-MAAC Team are listed below:

2018 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Place	Team	Points (First Place Votes)
1.	Monmouth	121 (11)
2.	Quinnipiac	99
3.	Siena	96
4.	Manhattan	92
5.	Rider	78
6.	Fairfield	57
7.	Marist	54
8.	Niagara	49
9.	Canisius	41
10.	Iona	27
11.	Saint Peter's	12

2018 Preseason All-MAAC Team

Student-Athlete	Team	Position
Alex Madden	Fairfield	Forward
Arianna Montefusco	Manhattan	Forward
Madie Gibson*	Monmouth	Forward
Kelsey Goldring	Quinnipiac	Forward
Emma Saul	Manhattan	Midfielder
Alli Deluca	Monmouth	Midfielder
Lexie Palladino	Monmouth	Midfielder
Valeria Pascuet	Rider	Midfielder
Nicolle Sasso	Marist	Defender
Anna Lazur	Marist	Defender
Amanda Holtzman	Siena	Defender
Amanda Knaub	Monmouth	Goalkeeper

*2018 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year

The Iona women's soccer team opens the season on Friday, Aug. 17 at Sacred Heart. Its first home game is on Tuesday, Aug. 21 against Army at 3 PM. The MAAC season begins on Saturday, Sept. 12 versus Niagara at Mazzella Field.

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