UDPride.com has crunched the numbers and added things up in the 2001 A-10 womens soccer race. Several teams could conceivably walk home with the regular season and tournament titles and ranking the predicted order of finish took several tries before we came to our comfort zone. With the season ready to begin, here’s a look at how we think things will end up if our paychecks were riding on it.

1. RICHMOND – The Spiders are marking their first season in the A-10, but the scheduling Gods paved them a yellow-bricked road to the regular season title in 2001. The Spiders play home games against URI, Dayton, UMass, and Xavier — the four toughest opponents in the conference. Despite reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever just a season ago, Richmond has developed big-game experience over the last few years by playing a stiff non-conference schedule and competing in the tougher Colonial Athletic Association. Wins over Maryland and West Virginia last season prove the Spiders can step it up in the big games. The Spiders sustained a few losses to graduation, but did we mention the favorable schedule? You’ll be hearing a lot from superstar defender Edda Gardarsdottir, a 1st Team CAA pick as a freshmen last year who’s seen time for Iceland’s National Team. An excellent recruiting class only helps. Picking a clear favorite was nearly impossible, but all things considered, the Spiders have the fewest excuses not to win the regular season title. Quality talent, quality coaching, a favorable schedule, and momentum from last year’s tournament appearance make Richmond the team to beat, at least for now. Early contests against Clemson, Maryland, and William & Mary should have them ready to go in time for the conference race. Dayton and UMass lurk however and the A-10 could conceivably put two teams in the Big Dance if everything goes right

2. DAYTON – The Flyers have the talent to top everyone in the league, but the schedule is just the opposite compared to Richmond. Games against UMass, Richmond, and URI are away from Baujan Field where UD ranked among the nation’s Top-20 in attendance. Only the Xavier game is played at home. UD has won the league three straight seasons and doesn’t want anyone bumping them off their perch — especially a newcomer to the conference, so perhaps it’s a slap in the face to not pick the Flyers as the team to beat. Were it not for the lack of home games (just six), we’d pick Dayton ahead of Richmond and stick with the perennial league power. Talent-wise, UD has as much or more talent as anyone. Missy Gregg is perhaps the best striker in the country while junior goalkeeper Steph Weisenfeld has All-America potential. A brutal non-con schedule against the likes of Santa Clara, Stanford, Michigan, Cal-Irvine, and others should get them ready for A-10 play and give fans an early indicator of their potential. The Flyer defense is one of the best — and youngest — in the Great Lakes region. Remarkably, newcomer Tesia Kozlowski, a two-time HS All-American, is the third two-time selection to sign with Dayton in the last three seasons.

3. UMASS – We might be low-balling UMass a bit considering nine of 11 starters return from a club that finished 3rd in the league standings a year ago, but it’s more of a signal of the growing talent level of the league’s top two teams. While UMass will be better than last year, so will the other contenders. Head Coach Jim Rudy always has his team ready however, and this year is no exception. UMass has the most speed in the conference, led by the underrated midfielder Brooke Bartlett. All Conference defender Sarah Cook and midfielder Martha Conover help give the Minutewomen a chance. Goalkeeper Julie Podhrasky, the reigning A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, must do more to make believers out of the fans however as other defensive players in the league are equally good or better. UMass dedicated themselves to a tough offseason physical fitness regimen and fans in Amherst hope it pays off. Rudy has lined up yet another tough non-con slate including UConn, Harvard, Boston College, and Georgia that will get them ready for conference play. Another plus is having Dayton, Xavier, and URI for home games, which may be the difference between 3rd place and 5th place.

4. XAVIER – Conventional wisdom says Xavier will finally fall off the radar screen in 2001, but we don’t buy it. For three consecutive years, the Muskies dragged their feet in the non-con portion of their schedule, then caught fire in conference play and milked two NCAA appearances by winning the postseason tournament. They’ve reached three straight A-10 Tournament Finals and played Dayton each time — winning two of three. Last year alone they started 1-6, only to rip off victory after victory after a 4-0 loss to Dayton at the beginning of their conference slate. They ended up 14-7-1 after an NCAA loss to Illinois and lose most of their offensive firepower including super striker Annette Gruber as well as All League pick Erin Coley. Senior defender Liz Singer returns however as well as the entire defense that posted an amazing 11 shutouts a year ago — including star goalkeeper Megan Veith — perhaps the best in the league outside Weisenfeld. If XU can find even a little offense they will be right there, but road games against the league’s top three teams may be the difference, which is why we like Xavier at #4. If UMass sputters even a bit however, the Muskies could slide up a notch.

5. RHODE ISLAND – A coaching change drops URI to fifth as Shelley Smith left Kingston to coach the USC Gamecocks. URI lured St. Bonaventure Head Coach Geoff Bennett as the replacement. Bennett was a good coach at a tough location at SBU and will find success for the Rams, but give the players a year to acclimate themselves to the new system and coaching style. Last year’s 15-4-1 team looked formidable as they approached the end of the year with just two losses, but a 1-0 setback to Dayton in the last week of the season and a 4-2 loss to the Flyers in the A-10 Tournament exposed their soft schedule — though they did pull off a quality win over Brown early in the year. Most of the major players return including their two top scorers in Catherine Zanni and Shannon Kittleson. Also returning is defender Rebecca Sorensen, also an All Conference selection. Rhody’s problem isn’t star potential, but depth in the lineup, which is why the talent level drops off after the aforementioned names, unlike the teams rated higher that seem to lose nothing when going to the bench. That aside, hosting the A-10 Tournament gives them a leg up and if they can match UMass’ technical precision and Xavier’s defensive mindedness, 3rd place is not out of the question. Don’t ever count out a tournament host.

6. DUQUESNE – After URI, the drop-off is rather large in terms of talent in the A-10 race, but the Dukes are our sleeper selection and could make some waves in 2001. While last year’s 4-14-1 (3-6-1) record is quite unimpressive, they return preseason All A-10 selection Lauren Bracco in the midfield, the A-10 Rookie of the Year in 2000. Incoming recruit Katie Schwager, who played prep ball at Walsh Jesuit, OH, and teamed with Parade All-American Kristen Weiss for a mythical HS national title, will provide an immediate impact. But the greatest good will likely come from newly-named Head Coach Dawn Crow who interestingly enough played side-by-side Missy Gregg this year in the W-2 Semiprofessional league for the Memphis Mercury. Crow won four national titles at North Carolina and isn’t accustomed to losing, and is still good enough to get on the field herself and demonstrate what she’s teaching. Last year the Dukes lost 10 games by one goal and return eight starters, but must break in a new goalkeeper. The non-conference schedule is not too challenging and should help their chances of winning, but unseating the top five teams is highly unlikely. Having said that, they did beat Rhode Island 1-0 last year. Keep your eye on the Dukes.

7. LASALLE – The Explorers finished a surprising 12-6 a year ago and handed Dayton their only loss in the regular season — a 2-0 victory in Philadelphia. Sophomore Krista Lee is the third highest returning scorer in the league from a year ago and forward Amy Schneider is a capable scorer who can find the back of the net. Five other starters will be back for Head Coach Jeannine Calhoun, the A-10 Coach of the Year in 2000, but the Explorers must replace Tracey Spinelli, the team leader and an All Mid-Atlantic selection as a senior. A significantly upgraded schedule including Arizona State, Furman, and Loyola (MD) could humble them early, but should help in the long run and is a great sign that A-10 schools, especially those in the middle of the pack, are capable of inking strong non-conference matchups. LaSalle should improve on last year’s team, but another 12 wins or victory over the league’s top program may have to wait. Still, LaSalle stands the best chance of going from merely competitive to a major conference contender over the next two or three seasons.

8. GEO. WASHINGTON – Nineteen players and five senior starters return from last season’s 5-14 (4-6) campaign, including senior Erin Coppedge who earned 2nd Team A-10 honors a year ago. Kim Warner, an All-Rookie selection herself, teams up with Coppedge on the front line and gives the Colonials some offensive punch. GW possesses some serious team speed and can make things interesting, but defensive breakdowns last year ruined any chance at a .500 campaign. The defensive breakdowns were so apparent that at times it seemed like GW was playing two or three players short, but everyone expects the GW coaching staff to patch things up in time for the season opener. A decent recruiting class consisting of two midfielders/defenders should help things as both received preseason All-Rookie nods from the conference. GW won’t finish in the top five, but an upset or two during the season is doable.

9. ST. BONAVENTURE – The Bonnies, 5-11-3 (3-6-1) a year ago, finished in a tie for 8th place in the conference with Duquesne after qualifying for the A-10 Tournament in 1999. Head Coach Geoff Bennett left Olean, NY, however for the better soccer potential at Rhode Island, leaving SBU with a new coach for 2001 in Dan Magner, an assistant at league foe UMass for the past two seasons. Magner was the former head coach at Lafayette and Kansas, so he’s no rookie, and that will come in handy as the Bonnies need a tune-up. Forward Jen Twardzik, a 2nd Team All A-10 pick a year ago and the team’s leading scorer, has graduated. This leaves SBU without a bona fide scorer. Goalkeeper Karen Cunningham earned similar honors in 1999 but still takes a back seat to others in the league. SBU played the top teams well a year ago, losing to UD and XU by 1-0 scores and tying Rhode Island, but the non-conference schedule is once again weak and chances are they won’t topple the big fish of the league.

10. FORDHAM – The women of the Bronx finished a disappointing 6-11-2 (2-7-1) in 2000, barely enough to stay out of the cellar. But given that the Rams have averaged under six wins a year over the last five seasons, it’s a good bet they’ll hit that mark again. With just 26 goals in 19 games last year, there’s simply not enough scoring to contend for a top half finish. The good news is everyone but two seniors return for the Rams, but that may also be the bad news. Senior sweeper Kara Coniker was a 1st Team All A-10 selection last season while GK Shannon Misiaszek made the All-Rookie Team. Incoming freshman Dana Acrara was voted to the preseason All-Rookie team, but it’s not enough to help change things overnight. A soft non-con schedule probably reflects where the team currently is, and where the athletic department feels it’s going to stay, at least for the short term. For some reason however, a few of the top teams such as Dayton don’t play well against Fordham. Perhaps it’s mere oversight or overconfidence, but more in likely it’s a sign of a team doing as much as they can with as little as they have. That’s a compliment to Fordham for getting mileage out of what they have, but sweat equity only takes you so far and sooner or later raw talent wins out.

11. TEMPLE – On the surface, the Owls look like pseudo-contenders, and how can you say otherwise after their 11-9 season a year ago and 6th place tie in the A-10 with GW (4-6). We’re saying otherwise because Temple started off 8-2 in 2000 and finished things up by dropping seven of 10. A victim of their own weak scheduling, they reeled off five wins in a row over easy pickings before dropping six in a row to the likes of UMass, Xavier, Dayton, and URI. The six losses were by a combined score of 26-6. The Owls don’t have a couple marquee players to count on, and the 2001 schedule is relatively weak once again with opponents FDU, Northern Iowa, Niagara, Drexel, Siena, and LIU on tap. Only a contest with Virginia will fatten them up for conference play. With a large student base and strong recognition from the Temple name, more should be expected from this program, but it remains to be seen if the athletic department is ready to emphasize it.

12. ST JOSEPH’S – Nobody likes to be in the cellar, but that’s where SJU found themselves a year and where they’ll likely stay in 2001. Amazing as it is, the Hawks were without a permanent coach until just days ago when Jessica Reynolds took over. Building upon a 4-13 (1-9) campaign will prove to be the hardest challenge facing any A-10 squad this year. Just two starters were lost, but Colleen Corcoran was one of them, a 2nd Team All A-10 selection in 1999 who tended the Hawk nets and provided some reassurance on defense. Last year was their first losing season in four years and eight of nine conference losses were by two goals or less. Only a 7-2 pasting by Dayton stuck out. So there is hope for a recovery, but St. Joseph’s remains the team with the most questions to answer.