Burnsville, MN – Since joining the Northern Sun, the University of Mary women's soccer team has consistently finished towards the top of the conference. With a new head coach coming on board this season and a dearth of returning defenders, opposing coaches appear to believe this is the year the Marauders will slip into the middle of the pack. U-Mary is selected to finish seventh in the 2012 NSIC Preseason Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
U-Mary, which finished tied for fourth last season, has never finished lower than fifth place in the now 16-team conference since joining the NSIC in 2006. The Marauders have also qualified for the Northern Sun tournament all six years and have won the post-season tournament twice.
 
Minnesota State is projected to win the conference, followed by Winona State, Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State, Augustana, Bemidji State and U-Mary. Upper Iowa claimed eighth in the poll, ahead of Concordia-St. Paul, Minot State, Southwest Minnesota State, MSU Moorhead, Wayne State, Sioux Falls, Northern State and Minnesota Crookston.
 
Despite long-time head coach Levi Evans leaving the Marauders to take a position at NCAA Division I University of Wyoming, the Marauders shouldn't miss a beat. Former Marauders All-American Sarah McNulty, U-Mary's assistant coach the past three seasons, provides a familiar face. An accomplished high school head coach, McNulty directed Bismarck Century to two state championships.
 
Keying the Marauders efforts are two seniors, Michelle Jones and Ashley Akers, who were named U-Mary's 2012 NSIC Offensive and Defensive Players to Watch.
 
A midfielder from Hamilton, MT, Jones earned All-Northern Sun first team honors and was named to the Daktronics and NSCAA All-Central Region second team. Entering her fourth season as a starter for the Marauders, Jones scored five goals and added five assists for 15 points to finish second of the team in scoring, all career highs.
 
Akers, who assumed the starting goalkeeping role as a sophomore, started 18 of the Marauders 19 games last season. The Casper, WY, native posted three shutouts and paired a 1.20 goals against average with a .795 save percentage. She had five shutouts as a sophomore.
 
U-Mary returns six starters, 11 letter winners and three other All-NSIC performers. Selected to the All-NSIC and Daktronics and NSCAA All-Central Region second teams, junior forward Alex Bachman-Williams led the Marauders with 13 counters and had five assists for 31 points in 2011. Junior Kelsey Pacpaco claimed third-team all-conference honors as a defensive midfielder. The Honolulu, HI, native scored one goal and contributed two assists and enters her third season as a starter. Dayna Domingo, a junior midfielder, earned honorable mention All-NSIC recognition last season after she scored one goal and distributed seven assists.
 
The Marauders, who opened camp on Monday, begin a set of three exhibition games at Rocky Mountain College on August 17. U-Mary kicks off the regular season at home against Minot State University on September 2.
 
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