BROOKLYN, N.Y. --- The LIU Brooklyn women's soccer team has been predicted to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings, the league announced today with the release of its preseason poll. Defending NEC champion Saint Francis U. was picked to repeat in 2017, earning seven of the league's nine first-place votes, while Central Connecticut State and Fairleigh Dickinson each earned a first-place vote and were predicted to finish second and third, respectively.
The Blackbirds, under the leadership of first-year head coach and LIU alumna
Eleri Earnshaw, will return two of their top three goals scorers in redshirt senior
Jenn Peters and junior
Marian Awad. Peters earned the 2016 Golden Boot Award as one of the top scorers in the NEC, tying Fairleigh Dickinson's Jessi Reinhardt and Saint Francis' Gabi Morales for the NEC lead with six goals. The Slate Hill, N.Y. product also finished tied for fifth in the NEC with 13 points. Peters started in 16 matches this season and registered a team-high 27 shots on goal. She enters her final campaign with 16 career goals, tied for sixth on the school's all-time list.
Awad ended 2016 third on the team in goals (3) and points (6; tied) and spent part of this past summer playing with the Women's National Team of her native Israel. The junior and the Israeli team competed during the preliminary rounds of UEFA qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Awad even registered a goal during her tenure, leading Israel to a 2-0 shutout of Lithuania. As a Blackbird, Award has recorded eight goals, two assists and 18 total points in 32 career matches. She started all 19 contests as a freshman in 2015, scoring five goals and assisting on two others en route to earning Northeast Conference All-Rookie honors
LIU will open the 2017 campaign on Friday, August 18 at 7 p.m. when the team travels to the University for Maine for one of its five straight road matchups to begin the year.