Aug. 9, 2011
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The San Diego State women's soccer program has been picked to win the 2011 Mountain West championship in the league's preseason coaches' poll, which was released Tuesday morning.
SDSU earned 34 points and four first-place votes, while second-place New Mexico garnered 33 points and three first-place tallies. UNLV (24 points), TCU (20) and Wyoming (15) were picked to finish third, fourth and fifth, respectively. MW newcomer Boise State (14) was selected sixth by the league's coaches and Air Force was seventh with seven points.
The Aztecs, who are led by fifth-year head coach Mike Friesen, return 14 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad that finished with a MWC record of 5-2.
Senior Cat Walker returns to action after missing all of 2010 due to injury. The midfielder from Folsom, Calif., was the 2009 Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, MWC Championship MVP, a MWC first-team selection and NSCAA all-Pacific Region second-team honoree.
Walker's classmate and co-captain Megan McQueeny also enters her final season on Montezuma Mesa with a full trophy case. A defender out of Rohnert Park, Calif., McQueeny has garnered NSCAA all-Pacific Region and MWC first-team accolades each of the last two seasons.
Along the backline with McQueeny will be redshirt junior Tiffany Hurst and sophomore Haley Palmer. Hurst was a starter on the 2009 Mountain West Conference championship squad, while Palmer earned 2010 Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors and was a second-team all-MWC performer.
Also returning is sophomore midfielder and San Diego native Soledad Gomez, who was selected to the all-Mountain West Conference second team, and junior forward/midfielder Sarah Halverson, who is the team's top returning goal scorer and point earner.
The Aztecs opened fall practice last week and are gearing up for this Saturday's exhibition vs. Point Loma Nazarene. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at SDSU Sports Deck and admission is free. San Diego State's regular season opener is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 19, vs. Arizona at 4 p.m., at SDSU Sports Deck.
2011 Mountain West Women's Soccer Coaches' Poll
1. San Diego State (4 first-place votes) - 34 points
2. New Mexico (3) - 33
3. UNLV - 24
4. TCU - 20
5. Wyoming - 15
6. Boise State - 14
7. Air Force - 7