ERIE, Pa. – For the second year in a row, the Penn State Behrend men's and women's soccer teams were chosen to finish in first place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC), according to the preseason voting by the league's head coaches.
The women tallied eight first-place votes to lead the league in the preseason poll. The Lions won their 11th conference championship and fifth straight title last season with a 4-3 overtime win against Pitt-Bradford. The Panthers are poised to give Behrend a run again this year after being voted to finish second overall and Pitt-Greensburg likely to take third.
Senior forward Alex Bilka (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley) was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row while Rachel Weyand (Butler, PA/Butler) was selected Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Bilka, the reigning AMCC Player of the Year and first-ever NSCAA All-American, led the league and team with 17 goals and posted a school-record 45 points last season. She was also named First-Team All-Region, First-Team All-AMCC and an ECAC South All-Star in 2015.
Weyand had her best season yet in 2015 for the Lions. She was an All-Conference first-team and ECAC All-Star selection last season. Weyand started 20 games and scored four goals to go with six assists.
The men's team was selected to reclaim the AMCC title, narrowly edging Mount Aloysius in the coaches' preseason poll. Senior defender Evan Augustine (South Park, PA/South Park) was selected as the preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He was the team's co-MVP last season after being named to the All-Conference First Team. Augustine was an impenetrable force that opposing offenses could not figure out how to get passed. He led the defense to post 11 shutouts, including four straight. The areal threat also chipped in on the offensive side of the ball, scoring four enthusiastic goals off of corners and free kicks.
AMCC WOMEN'S SOCCER POLL
2016 Preseason Rankings*
1. Penn State Behrend (2)
2. Pitt-Bradford (1)
3. Pitt-Greensburg (3)
4. La Roche (4)
5. D'Youville (5)
6. Penn State Altoona (6)
7. Franciscan (7)
8. Mt. Aloysius (8)
9. Medaille (9)
10. Hilbert (10)
AMCC MEN'S SOCCER POLL
2016 Preseason Rankings*
1. Penn State Behrend (T1)
2. Mount Aloysius (T1)
3. Medaille (T4)
4. La Roche (3)
5. Penn State Altoona (T4)
6. Franciscan (T7)
7. Hilbert (6)
8. Pitt-Greensburg (T7)
9. D'Youville (9)
10. Pitt-Bradford (10)
* Number in parentheses is order of regular season finish in 2015
