Manchester University was selected for a fifth-place finish on the 2015 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's women's soccer coaches' preseason poll, released Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The Spartans earned 63 points, just five points shy of fourth and only seven short of the top three. Two-time defending champion Hanover College was selected as the preseason favorite, garnering 99 points and nine first-place votes, while Franklin College was picked second with 91 points and one first-place vote.

Head coach Andy Stout's squad, which opens the 2015 season Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Trine University in Angola, Ind., had three individuals mentioned in the "Players To Watch" section. The trio of senior forward Bridgette Rowe (La Quinta, Calif.), senior defender Allison Rowe (La Quinta, Calif.) and senior forward Brandy Crouse (Cleves, Ohio) represented MU.

The complete 2015 HCAC women's soccer coaches' preseason poll can be viewed at http://www.heartlandconf.org/sports/wsoc/2015-16/releases/8_11_preseason_poll.