Pac-12 coaches polls reveal season favorites

Pac-12 coaches voted their pre-season conference favorites last week. The University of Washington Men got a first-place vote and were chosen to finish 3rd behind UCLA and Cal.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - In a polling of the Conference’s six men’s soccer coaches, UCLA was voted the preseason favorite to win the 2012 Pac-12 regular season for the second year in a row, the Conference announced Tuesday. The defending Pac-12 Champion and NCAA runner-up Bruins received 24 points and four first-place votes. The Bruins are searching for their eighth title overall this season.

2012 Pac-12 Coach of the Year Jorge Salcedo and the Bruins return five starters including All-Pac-12 honorees SR MF Ryan Hollingshead and SR D Matt Weit. CALIFORNIA, with 18 points, placed second. Cal returns a duo of all-conference players in SR D Steve Birnbaum and SR MF Tony Salciccia. The Golden Bears also return 2011 Freshman of the Year SO MF Seth Casiple.

In third place was WASHINGTON coming in just one point behind Cal with 17 points. The Huskies will build off the success of second year head coach Jamie Clark. UW recorded the most program wins last season since 2006. STANFORD garnered 14 points for fourth, followed by SAN DIEGO STATE with 11 points. OREGON STATE rounded out the coaches poll with six points.

The 2012 season will be a landmark year for the Conference with the launch of the Pac-12 Networks tomorrow. Pac-12 men’s soccer teams will be featured in 28 live contests shown on the Networks. For a full schedule of televised Pac-12 matches, visit http://www.pac-12.org

2012 Pac-12 Men’s Soccer Coaches Poll

1. UCLA (4) 24

2. California (1) 18

3. Washington (1) 17

4. Stanford 14

5. San Diego State 11

6. Oregon State 6

The Washington State Cougars were tabbed to finish 8th in Pac-12 Women’s Soccer. The Washington Huskies got enough votes to earn a 5th place prediction in a league that Stanford is expected to dominate.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - In a polling of the Conference’s 12 women’s soccer coaches, STANFORD was selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2012 Pac-12 title. The defending NCAA champions collected 120 points and nine of 11 possible first-place votes. UCLA and CALIFORNIA are tabbed to finish second and third in the Conference, respectively.

The Cardinal, which looks to win its fourth-consecutive Pac-12 title, returns seven starters, including All-America goalkeeper Emily Oliver. UCLA, under the direction of second-year head coach B.J. Snow, claimed 111 points and two first-place votes, while Cal received 93 points to place third in the poll. The Bruins return 11 starters from a squad that lost just one game in Snow’s first year at the helm.

OREGON STATE finished fourth in the balloting, picking up 86 points, and WASHINGTON’s 75 points were good for fifth place. ARIZONA STATE edged out USC by four points to place sixth, while the Trojans were picked seventh.

WASHINGTON STATE, which advanced to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and UTAH each collected 49 points to finish tied for eighth place in the poll. The Utes return eight starters from a team that finished comfortably in the top half of the Pac-12 a year ago. OREGON, COLORADO and ARIZONA rounded out the poll, finishing 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively.

The 2012 season kicks off August 17-19. The Pac-12 Networks will televise 58 live women’s soccer contests, including more than 40 appearances from 2011 NCAA Tournament-qualifying teams. The schedule kicks off with defending NCAA champion Stanford hosting perennial power Santa Clara in the Pac-12 Networks’ first-ever live event production.

2012 PAC-12 WOMEN’S SOCCER COACHES POLL
1. Stanford (10) 120
2. UCLA  (2) 111
3. California 93
4. Oregon State 86
5. Washington 75
6. Arizona State 70
7. USC 66
8. Utah 49
8. Washington State 49
10. Oregon 36
11. Colorado 25
12. Arizona 12

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