Women's Soccer | 8/11/2014 3:47:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT women's soccer team is ranked 21st in the 2014 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire Division III national preseason poll released Monday August 11.

The Tigers, who qualified for their second straight NCAA Tournament in 2013, finished last season with a 12-5-4 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's history. RIT finished 5-2-1 in Liberty League play, losing to eventual National Champion William Smith in the title game.

Fifth year head coach Liz Masterson returns RIT's top six scorers from a year ago led by first team All-Liberty League selection Sierra Kiss (Sauquoit, NY/Sauquoit) who posted 23 points on 11 goals and one assist. Anka Parzych (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) was second in scoring with seven points in her rookie campaign, while Ehlana Gray (Sewickley, PA/Avonworth) and Gwen Neuhaus (Woodbridge, VA/Potomac) were tied for third in scoring with six points apiece.

Defensively, RIT returns starting goalie Amanda Murray (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) between the pipes. She finished 2013 with an 11-5-2 record, a 0.69 goals against average and an .869 save percentage. Second year defender Emily Shoemaker (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena), the 2012 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, returns after a season-ending injury in 2013. Shoemaker joins Neuhaus in the back after the latter enjoyed a breakout season in 2013.

RIT kicks off the season on Aug. 29 when the Tigers host No. 25 Oneonta State at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the Rachel Miller Memorial Tournament. The Tigers host Allegheny College the next day before hitting the road to face Otterbein and Carnegie Mellon on Sept. 6-7. The Tigers face two ranked opponents in William Smith (No. 1) and Oneonta State (No. 25).

2014 NSCAA/Continental Tire National Women's Soccer Division III Preseason Poll:
1) William Smith
2) Trinity (Texas)
3) Middlebury
4) Washington (Mo.)
5) Ithaca
6) Johns Hopkins
7) Wheaton (Ill.)
8) Montclair State
9) Messiah
10) The College of New Jersey
11) Emory
12) Puget Sound
13) Thomas More
14) Capital
15) Williams
16) Hardin-Simmons
17) Misericordia
18) Lynchburg
19) Wisconsin-Whitewater
20) Illinois Wesleyan
21) RIT
22) Loras
23) Rowan
24) Calvin
25) SUNY Oneonta