By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University received one first place vote and was picked to finish in third place in the 2015 Northwest Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll in voting by the NWC head coaches. Defending champion Whitworth University, which won the NWC title by just one point in the standings over Willamette last season, was chosen to repeat as champion.
Whitworth won the 2014 NWC championship with a 10-1-3 record (33 points). Willamette placed second with a 10-2-2 record (32 points). University of Puget Sound was third at 10-3-1 (31 points).
In the 2015 Preseason Poll, Whitworth received 49 points and four first place votes. The Pirates, who reached the sectional semifinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament, finished last season with a 17-2-3 overall record.
Pacific Lutheran University was second in the preseason poll with 44 points and three first place votes. The Lutes ended the 2014 season with a 7-7 record in the NWC and finished 10-10 overall.
Willamette received 41 points in the preseason poll along with the remaining first place vote. The Bearcats concluded last season with a 13-5-2 (.700) overall record for the team's best winning percentage since going 12-4-1 (.735) in 1984.
Puget Sound placed fourth in the poll with 32 points. UPS ended last year with a 13-5-2 overall record. Pacific University followed in fifth place with 23 points after going 5-8-1 in the NWC and 8-10-1 overall in 2014.
Sixth place in the poll went to Linfield College with 18 points. The Wildcats were 4-9-1 in NWC action last fall on their way to a 6-11-1 overall mark.
Whitman College held seventh place with 16 points after the Missionaries finished last year at 6-8 in the NWC and 10-10 on the season. George Fox University completed the poll in eighth place with nine points. The Bruins were 0-14 in the NWC and 2-16-1 overall last season.
The Bearcats will open the year with seven consecutive home games, starting on Thursday, Sept. 3 against University of La Verne (Calif.) on Sparks Field at 7 p.m. (PDT). A busy first week of action will continue against Southwestern University (Texas) on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. followed by a game with University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.
Willamette graduated four seniors after the 2014 season. Even so, this year's team will be led by three players who earned First Team All-NWC honors last season -- Yazan Hishmeh (Sr., F, Ventura, CA/Saint Bonaventure HS), Julian Hanlon-Austin (Jr., F, Portland, OR/Grant HS), and Braydon Calder (Sr., GK, Philomath, OR/Philomath HS).
Hishmeh tied for first place in the NWC with 13 goals last fall. He registered seven game-winning goals and earned hat tricks against Multnomah University and George Fox. He also recorded two assists and ranked second in the NWC with 28 total points. He was named NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week three times (Sept. 16, Oct. 7, Oct. 28).
Hanlon-Austin scored two goals and two assists for six total points. He played in 14 games and made 12 starts. His speed on the wing forced many teams to mark him with two defenders, which helped other WU players gain open space.
Calder finished last season with a 0.94 goals against average, 70 saves and a 10-5-2 record. He achieved five solo shutouts and one combined shutout. He played 1,436 minutes in goal. He was named NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week three times last season (Sept. 29, Oct. 13, Oct. 27).
2015 NWC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll (1st place votes in parentheses)
1. Whitworth (4), 49 points, 17-2-3 overall, 10-1-3 NWC in 2014
2. Pacific Lutheran (3), 44 points, 10-10, 7-7 NWC
3. Willamette (1), 41 points, 13-5-2, 10-2-2 NWC
4. Puget Sound, 32 points, 13-5-2, 10-3-1 NWC
5. Pacific, 23 points, 8-10-1, 5-8-1 NWC
6. Linfield, 18 points, 6-11-1, 4-9-1 NWC
7. Whitman, 16 points, 10-10, 6-8 NWC
8. George Fox, 9 points, 2-16-1, 0-14 NWC
Note: Points were awarded on a 8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each coach was not allowed to vote for his own team.
