HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference released the 2021 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll today, and the nine league coaches picked Penn State Behrend to close the fall semester at the top. 2019 AMCC champion Pitt-Greensburg came in second in the league's voting, while Mount Aloysius rounded out the top three spots.
Hilbert College's rookie head coach
Anthony Pellicano will guide the Hawks when they return to action this September. Pellicano '17 dropped the 'interim' tag over the summer and becomes the first Hilbert men's soccer alumnus to serve as the head coach of the women's team.
After the fall 2020 soccer season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilbert participated in three April exhibition matches. Pellicano led his Hawks to a 2-1 record and are eager to get back on the playing field with other AMCC opponents.
Pitt-Greensburg junior forward Ashley Lucas has been voted the AMCC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Penn State Behrend senior defender Ava Michael was selected as the AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
A pair of dual-sport academic-junior athletes,
Macy Kisner and
Grace Zabawa were mentioned in the
Players to Watch section of the poll as they return to the pitch as Hilbert's top two leading scorers as freshmen in 2019.
The AMCC Championship tournament begins October 30
th with the top six team's moving into post-season play. The AMCC Title game will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on November 6 with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
