NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Saint Louis women's soccer has been picked to four-peat as Atlantic 10 champions, as the league announced its Preseason Poll Thursday afternoon. The 11-member Preseason All-Conference Team was also released.
 
Dayton ranked second in the predicted order of finish with 153 points, followed closely by VCU with 152 points. George Washington earned one first-place vote and 145 points to place fourth in the poll, with Massachusetts rounding out the top five slots with 144 points.
 
The defending-champion Billikens earned 195 votes and 13 first-place votes to take the top spot in the rankings. SLU won it's third straight A-10 title in April, which is when the conference held the 2020 championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Saint Louis enters the 2021 season ranked 21^st nationally. The Billikens have four players on the Preseason All-Conference team, including defensive stalwarts Brionna Halverson and Sophia Stram, 2020-21 A-10 Midfielder of the Year Abbie Miller and 2020-21 Offensive Player of the Year Hannah Friedrich. Saint Louis was 8-0 in league play and 15-1-1 overall last season.

Dayton will rely on 2020-21 A-10 Rookie of the Year and UD's top scorer Itala Gemelli as an offensive anchor, along with 2020-21 All-Conference selections Mackenzie Lutz, Yaiza Navarro Leon and Jessica Sheldon. The Flyers were 4-4-1 in 2020-21 league play and 7-7-1 overall and were the No. 4 seed for the A-10 Championship in April.  

Predicted to finish third, VCU had three players named to the Preseason All-Conference team: forward Samantha Jerabek, midfielder Emma Kershner and defender Lana Golob. The Rams were 4-2-1 in league play last year and 7-4-2 overall.
 
After George Washington in fourth and UMass in fifth, La Salle placed sixth in the preseason poll with 128 points, followed by Davidson in seventh with 114 points and Saint Joseph's tallied 96 points to place eighth. Fordham (93), Duquesne (68) and George Mason (64) were ninth, 10^th and 11^th respectively, while Richmond, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
 
The league’s head coaches voted for the 11-member Preseason All-Conference Team, which also included Davidson's Hailey Braemer, Sophia Caruso and goalkeeper Mary Grace Bunch.
 
The top eight teams will compete in the 2021 Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship, with the opening rounds held on the campus of the higher seeds on Oct. 30 and 31. The top four teams will then advance to play at the highest remaining seed in the Nov. 5 semifinals. The championship finale will be held on Sunday, Nov. 7 with the winner earning the A-10’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  

2021 Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
 
1.    Saint Louis - 195 (13)    
2.    Dayton - 153    
3.    VCU - 152    
4.    George Washington - 145 (1)    
5.    Massachusetts - 144    
6.    La Salle - 128
7.    Davidson - 114
8.    Saint Joseph's - 96    
9.    Fordham - 93    
10.    Duquesne - 68    
11.    George Mason - 64    
12.    Richmond - 51    
13.    Rhode Island - 45
14.    St. Bonaventure - 22

2021 Women's Soccer Preseason All-Confereence Team
 
Forwards
Hailey Braemer, Davidson
Itala Gemelli, Dayton
Hannah Friedrich, Saint Louis
Samantha Jerabek, VCU
 
Midfielders
Sophia Caruso, Davidson
Abbie Miller, Saint Louis
Emma Kershner, VCU
 
Defenders
Brionna Halverson, Saint Louis
Sophia Stram, Saint Louis
Lana Golob, VCU
 
Goalkeeper
Mary Grace Bunch, Davidson