Great West Conference Women's Soccer Pre-season Poll 

NAPERVILLE, IL – The NJIT women's soccer team has been selected first in the East Division of the Great West Conference in the inaugural preseason coaches' poll, the league office announced Tuesday evening.

The Highlanders (14 pts) picked up two first-place votes followed by South Carolina State (10 pts) and Howard (9 pts) each receiving one first-place vote.  Delaware State (7 pts) rounded out the list at the fourth spot.

Utah Valley (16 pts) earned four first-place votes in the West Division, making the Wolverines the preseason favorite on that side of the conference.  Houston Baptist (10 pts) was picked to finish second followed by North Dakota (8 pts) and South Dakota (6 pts). 

The Great West Conference champion will be decided by an eight-team, single-elimination tournament to be hosted by NJIT on November 6-9 in Newark, N.J.

The seeding for the tournament will be based upon final regular season standings within each division. The No. 1 and No. 4 seeds and No. 2 and No. 3 seeds from opposite divisions will play in the first round.

NJIT's first scheduled regular season match is on August 28 in West Point, NY, against Army and the first scheduled home match and third overall in 2009 is against Drexel at 7 pm on September 4 on Lubetkin Field.

NJIT will begin the Great West Conference women's soccer season on October 2, with a 7 pm home match on Lubetkin Field against South Carolina State.