With 26 players returning, including eight starters from a team that won conference, regional and national titles, Point Loma is the very logical choice to win Pacific West Conference title again in 2024.
The league coaches did vote that direction, but they also made it very clear that there would be a tight battle once again for the conference title. Just like in 2023, Concordia and Hawai`i Hilo are expected to be in the hunt right to the end.
The annual PacWest preseason coaches poll lists Point Loma in first with 183 poll points and 12 first place votes. Concordia is next at 177 and a first place vote, followed by Hawai`i Hilo with 171 poll points and one first place vote.
Point Loma went on a rampage over the last 11 regular matches of the season, outscoring their opponents 34-3. Six of those matches were in conference play, yet it was only in the last week of the regular season that they were able to clinch the conference title. When all was said and done, they won five additional postseason matches without giving up a goal. In the NCAA tournament, they outscored their opponents 9-0.
The Sea Lions return a cupboard full of players from that championship team. Head coach Kristi Kiely welcomes back PacWest Defender of the Year Emma Thrapp, along with All-PacWest selections Alana Diaz, Naomi Ellis, Bethany Arabe and Nicki Friedman. PacWest Freshman of the Year Nikki Ross also returns, along with goalkeeper Julia Pinnell, who was named to the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team.
In winning its first-ever NCAA national title in any sport, the Sea Lions went 17-3-1 and 8-2 in the PacWest.
Concordia led the PacWest for much of the season after beginning the year with nine straight shutouts. In fact they only lost one conference game all season (7-1-2). They rolled into NCAA postseason play with a double overtime win over CSU San Marcos before falling to the red hot Sea Lions (2-0). They ended 2023 with a 13-3-2 record.
The Golden Eagles return eight starters from that team for head coach Chris Gould, in his 16th season. That list includes All-PacWest performers Riley Urquiza and Olivia Ocampo. CUI's defense was outstanding in 2023, setting a school record with 10 shutouts.
2022 PacWest champs
Hawai`i Hilo began with 2023 with six straight conference wins before falling to the Sea Lions and Golden Eagles. The Vulcans tied their last two matches of the season to just miss postseason play.
The Vulcans returns a large batch of the 2023 roster, including PacWest Player of the Year Teani Arakawa, PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year Phoebe Barnes and PacWest Newcomer of the Year Jazlyn Ellis. Additionally, head coach Gene Okamura welcomes back all-conference picks Filippa Graneld, Alyssa Padron and Alia Bourney. Okamura also has seven new transfers, including a pair of Division I grad transfers that started for their schools in Shea Christianson (Weber State) and Savina Zamborini (Louisville).
Tabbed to take fourth place in the coaches poll is
Azusa Pacific with 151 poll points. Head coach Brooke Lincoln has eight starters back, including four All-PacWest players--Sophia Emerson, Gianna Ocello, Aubrey Dunaway and Avery Guiel. Lincoln has 17 total players returning and also added seven transfers, including four Division I players.
Westmont grabs the fifth spot with 143 poll points. The Warriors return all-conference players Amelia Villa and Amarys Machado and 22 other players off the 2023 team. Jenny Jaggard's squad went 7-4-5 last season and finished sixth in the PacWest, their first year at the Division II level.
Chaminade, the PacWest spoiler in 2023, is next with 120 poll points. The Silverswords are the last team to defeat Point Loma (Oct. 16, 2023), and they defeated Concordia and tied Hawai`i Hiloas well. Nine starters return for head coach Michelle Richardson, including All-PacWest selections Haley Mo`okini and Delaney Buntin. Former Fresno Pacific standout Bryana Yoshida, who was an All-PacWest pick in 2022, is also now a Silversword.
Rounding out the top half of the conference in seventh is
Biola with 106 poll points. The Eagles, under second-year leader Brett Croft, have 25 players back including Peyton Nelson (Second Team All-PacWest) and Marije Rechin (Third Team). Biola was 5-9-3 overall last year and finished seventh in the conference.
Dominican (85 points), Vanguard (84) and Hawai`i Pacific (69) are next.
Dominican has 17 familiar faces returning for head coach Kelly Coffey, along with eight transfers. PacWest newcomer
Vanguard has 18 returnees including nine starters for second-year head coach Emily Reynolds.
Hawai`i Pacific has 15 returnees and six starters back for head coach Adria Boras, in addition to six transfers. One of those transfers is 2022 PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year Lauren Retsky (Hawai`i Hilo), who played last season at Sonoma State.
The final grouping includes Fresno Pacific (57 points), Menlo (53), Jessup (40) and Academy of Art (24).
Fresno Pacific, with longtime head coach Jaime Ramirez (35 years) sharing the job with Roberto Hernandez, has 15 returnees and seven with starting experience. First-year PacWest member
Menlo, led by head coach Freddy Delgado, has 13 letterwinners and seven starters. Fellow newcomer
Jessup (head coach Amsalu Fantahun) had 20 returning and eight starters, while
Academy of Art and head coach Lauren Nadler greets 13 returnees and six starters.
All 14 PacWest teams will get into counting action over the long weekend of September 5-8, and conference play begins Sept. 25-28 with nine match-ups.
To see the complete schedule,
click here.