NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Western Connecticut State University has been chosen as the preseason favorite to win the 2008 Little East Conference Women’s Soccer Regular Season Championship after a vote by the league’s eight head coaches. The Colonials have won the past two conference championship tournaments, advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament as the Little East automatic qualifier each year.

Western Connecticut earned seven of the eight first place votes and totaled 62 points to secure the top ranking in the annual coaches’ survey. Eastern Connecticut State University received the final first place vote and 53 points to narrowly nip Keene State College by just a single marker for the second seed.

Under the direction of Head Coach Joe Mingachos, Western Connecticut enjoyed the program’s most successful season in 2007, boasting an overall record of 21-3-1. The Colonials established a new single-season wins mark, putting an additional victory between the previous standard. Mingachos led Western Connecticut to its fifth overall Little East Conference Championship Tournament, earning the program’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Colonials strung together four postseason victories to advance to the national semifinal round for the first time in the program’s history before bowing out to the eventual national champion, Wheaton College (Ill.).

Mingachos will welcome back three all-conference selections from the 2007 squad, including first-tam striker Catherine Nathans (New Fairfield, Conn.). Nathans became the first Western Connecticut women’s soccer student-athlete to earn first-team All-American honors after leading the conference circuit in scoring (45 points). Nathans and her teammates will host WPI at 7 p.m. on Sept. 2 in the season opener.

Eastern Connecticut recorded its seventh-straight season with at least 11 victories last year, sporting an overall mark of 11-6-0. The Warriors used a stifling defensive attack—allowing the least amount of goals in the conference and setting the program’s consecutive shutout streak (6)—to earn the second seed in the conference tournament. Head Coach Chris D’Ambrosio led his squad into the championship match of Little East Tournament before being edged by the Colonials, 2-1. Eastern Connecticut returns an experienced group of student-athletes back to the fold from the 2007 campaign, including 14 letter winners and seven starters. Senior midfielder Nicole Guadette (Colchester, Conn.) and junior defender Christine Lemieux (South Windsor, Conn.) each earned first-team honors last Fall, while junior midfielder Taylor MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) represented the Warriors on the second team. The Warriors will make their debut against Manhattanville at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Keene State College reached the finals of the 2007 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Tournament, earning the program’s 11th consecutive postseason appearance. Head Coach Denise Lyons has recorded at least 12 victories in each of her 11 campaigns on the Division III pitch, and last season was no exception as her Owls sported an overall record of 14-9-1. Keene State will return 15 letter winners and six starters from a year ago, including second-team all-conference selection junior midfielder Molly Brunelle (Walpole, N.H.). The 2006 Little East Conference Rookie of the Year, Brunelle started all 23 matches and produced six points (1-4). Keene State will host Norwich University at 1 p.m. on Aug. 30 to open the 2008 slate.

The top-six teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the 2008 Little East Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receiving a bye and hosting semifinal round action on Thursday, Nov. 6. The conference champion will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 8 and earn the right to represent the Little East in the national tournament.

Completing the preseason coaches’ poll in projected order of finish are Rhode Island College (33), Plymouth State University (31), University of Southern Maine (28), University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (19), and University of Massachusetts Boston (10).

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