SAN MATEO, Calif. – Gonzaga's
Jordan Thompson was named Preseason All-West Coast Conference, and the Bulldogs were selected fourth in the league's annual poll released Thursday.
The preseason poll and All-WCC team were selected solely by a vote of the conference's 10 head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.
Thompson has started in all 51 of her collegiate appearances and has been a team captain for three years. She's been a staple on the GU defense the past three seasons. The senior has played nearly 4,600 minutes for the Zags.
The Bulldogs were selected fourth in the conference's preseason poll as voted by the league's head coaches. It's the best ranking for GU in the WCC preseason poll since 2006, when the Bulldogs were tabbed third, which was the highest position in the poll in program history. Last season, Gonzaga was fifth in the preseason poll, before placing fourth for the second straight year.
Gonzaga matched a program record with 12 wins last season. The 12 victories were the most in 11 years. The 2005 and 2008 Zags reached 12 wins in their seasons. The Zags captured their third-straight 10-win season. GU had four consecutive double-digit win seasons from 2003 to 2006. Gonzaga now has seven double-digit win seasons in program history.
In 2019, the Zags won five league games for the second consecutive season. Prior to the past two seasons, the Bulldogs had never won more than four conference contests. Gonzaga received a vote in the national rankings last season, which was a first for the program since 2005.
BYU women's soccer was picked to win its third-straight West Coast Conference title in this season's WCC preseason poll. The Cougars finished 21-1-1 in 2019 and were one of three WCC programs to earn bids to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. BYU advanced to the quarterfinals, Santa Clara reached the third round and Pepperdine lost in the first round in a penalty kick shootout.
BYU received the best possible score in the preseason poll with nine first-place votes and 81 points. Santa Clara was second with 73 points and one first-place vote, while Pepperdine (65 points), Gonzaga (54) and Portland (45) rounded out the top five. The second half includes San Francisco (45), San Diego (30), LMU (23), Saint Mary's (19) and Pacific (12).
The All-WCC Preseason Spring Women's Soccer Team includes 11 of the conference's best players and is highlighted by the reigning WCC Player of the Year Mikayla Colohan from BYU, the 2019 WCC Defensive Player of the Year in Alex Loera from Santa Clara, and Izzy D'Aquila from Santa Clara, the WCC's top freshman last season.
| 2020-21 WCC Spring Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
| BYU (9) |
81 |
| Santa Clara (1) |
73 |
| Pepperdine |
65 |
| Gonzaga |
54 |
| Portland |
48 |
| San Francisco |
45 |
| San Diego |
30 |
| LMU |
23 |
| Saint Mary's |
19 |
| Pacific |
12 |
| 2020-21 All-WCC Preseason Spring Women's Soccer Team |
| Name |
Institution |
Yr. |
Position |
| Joelle Anderson |
Pepperdine |
Sr. |
M/F |
| Mikayla Colohan |
BYU |
Sr. |
M |
| Izzy D'Aquila |
Santa Clara |
So. |
F |
| Julie Doyle |
Santa Clara |
Sr. |
M |
| Alex Loera |
Santa Clara |
Sr. |
M |
| Taryn Ries |
Portland |
Sr. |
F |
| Jamie Shepherd |
BYU |
So. |
M |
| Jordan Thompson |
Gonzaga |
Sr. |
D |
| Cameron Tucker |
BYU |
Sr. |
F |
| Kelsey Turnbow |
Santa Clara |
Sr. |
F |
| Trinity Watson |
Pepperdine |
Jr. |
D |
