BURNSVILLE, Minn. -- The Augustana Women's Soccer team has been picked to finish second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) preseason coaches' poll by tallying 208 points and two first place votes. Minnesota State was picked to win the conference with 222 points and 12 first place votes. 

In addition to nine newcomers, the Vikings return 24 players from last year's roster that went 12-6-3 en route to an NCAA tournament appearance for the second consecutive year. Of those 24 returners, the Vikings return their Goalkeeper Claudia Pueschner, offensive contributors in Alexis Legg, Grace Behm, and Morgan Keirstead, and shutdown defenders in Morgan Moe, Grace Bender, Erin Schneiderhan, and Shannon McKnight. 

The NSIC also selected two Vikings as Preseason Players to watch: Sophomore Midfielder Alexis Legg and Senior Defender Morgan Moe.

Legg had a breakout freshman campaign where she was named NSIC Freshman of the Year and made the NSIC All-Conference Third-Team. While she finished seventh in the conference in total points, she led the Vikings in points (23), goals (11), and game winning goals (3). 

Moe was a lockdown defender during her junior year, on a Viking team that posted nine shutouts. She was an All-NSIC Honorable Mention and appeared in all 21 games (starting 19 of them), logged an impressive 1,916 minutes, and tallied five shots.

The Vikings will open the season at home at Morstad Field in Sioux Falls on September 6 against Fort Hays State at 5:00 PM. This will be the first of three non-conference contests to start the season, before conference play begins on September 20 in Marshall, Minnesota against Southwest Minnesota State at 6:00 PM. 

NSIC Soccer
The 2019 NSIC Soccer Regular Season Champion will be determined by a 15-game league schedule, with a win earning a team three points and a tie one point. The 2019 NSIC Soccer season will see its first action on Thursday, September 5 with NSIC action beginning on September 20. The NSIC Tournament is scheduled for November 13, 15, 17. The top four seeds shall host for the first round, followed by the semifinal and championship rounds at the campus of the highest remaining seed.

2019 NSIC Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

1. Minnesota State (12)	222
2. Augustana (2)	208
3. Bemidji State  (2)	199
4. Concordia-St. Paul	172
5. St. Cloud State	154
6. Winona State	146
7. University of Mary	140
8. Minnesota Duluth	128
9. Minot State	118
10. Northern State	107
11. Wayne State	89
12. Sioux Falls	70
13. MSU  Moorhead	62
14. Upper Iowa	43
15. Southwest Minnesota State	41
16. Minnesota Crookston	21