Aug. 17, 2005

LANCASTER, PA - After posting the second most wins in program history (16) in 2004, the Johns Hopkins women's soccer team remains as one of the teams to beat in 2005, earning the second spot in the Centennial Conference Preseason Poll.

The 2004 conference tournament champion, Gettysburg, used 91 points and four first-place votes to top the poll of coaches and sports information directors. The Bullets finished the season ranked 24th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Poll and with a trip to the NCAA tournament. Hopkins comes in at a close second with 90 points and four first-place votes. Haverford collected three first place votes, coming in third.

Head coach Leo Weil enters his 14th season at Hopkins, carrying 143 career wins and eight consecutive winning seasons. Last season, the Blue Jays were in the NSCAA Top-25 for three weeks and finished with the most overall wins in the conference. Despite falling to Gettysburg in the Centennial title game, Hopkins still competed in postseason play, earning home field advantage in the ECAC South Region Championships.

Both of the Blue Jays' leading scorers from last year are among the eight returning starters. Senior Meg McIntosh and sophomore Kim Lane both recorded 10 goals, two assists and 22 points last season. The defense will be anchored by junior Lindsey Kimura, an NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic First-Team selection, and senior goalie Jen Goebel, who posted a conference-high eight shutouts in 2004.

Hopkins kicks off the 2005 season at Rutgers-Camden on September 1. The home schedule gets underway with the JHU Invitational, as the Blue Jays take on Stevens Tech on Sept. 3 and Oneonta State on Sept. 4.

2005 Centennial Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Poll:

1. Gettysburg - 91 pts. (4 first place votes)
2. Johns Hopkins - 90 (4)
3. Haverford - 87 (3)
4. Muhlenberg - 73
5. Dickinson - 61
6. Ursinus - 57
7. McDaniel - 45
8. Franklin & Marshall - 41
9. Swarthmore - 29
10. Washington - 16
11. Bryn Mawr - 14