SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Gonzaga's Willow Collins and Kelsey Oyler were named Preseason All-West Coast Conference, and the Bulldogs were selected fourth in the league's annual poll released Tuesday.
 
The preseason poll and All-WCC team were selected solely by a vote of the conference's nine head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.
 
Collins was named to the league's All-Freshman in 2021 and has started all 38 games in her collegiate career. A key piece to the GU defense, Collins scored twice last season and had three assists. A defensive teammate, Oyler was tabbed honorable mention All-Conference last season with a goal and three assists. She also has started in 38 of her 38 collegiate appearances.
 
The Bulldogs were selected fourth in the conference's preseason poll as voted by the league's head coaches. It's the fourth straight season Gonzaga was fourth in the preseason poll. It matches 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 fourth in the preseason poll, before placing third.
 
Last season, the Zags matched their best WCC finish in program history and reached 10 wins in season for the 10th time. It's the fifth time in the last six seasons GU has won 10 matches in a season, with the exception being the shortened season in the spring of 2021. It was the best conference finish by winning percentage in program history.
 
Last season's champion Santa Clara garnered the top spot in the annual preseason poll. The Broncos will vie for their third straight WCC crown when the 2023 campaign begins.
 
SCU enters the season ranked No. 19 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. The Broncos amassed 64 points in the coaches balloting, including eight first-place votes.
 
Portland edged past Pepperdine for second in the coaches' poll by one point. The Pilots and the Broncos were two of the WCC's three teams to compete in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
 
Although the Waves just missed out on second in the coaches' poll, Pepperdine picked up the other first-place vote to gain some momentum heading into the 2023 campaign.
 
On the preseason team, Santa Clara and Portland each boasted three of the 13 selections, while Gonzaga, Pepperdine and San Francisco each had two players named to the squad. The preseason team normally consists of 11 members, but this year's team features 13 players due to ties in voting.
 
Fans can catch WCC women's soccer action this season on ESPN+ as the conference announced its expanded relationship with the network earlier on Tuesday.
 
2023 WCC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Team (first-place votes) points
Santa Clara (8) 64
Portland 51
Pepperdine (1) 50
Gonzaga 48
Saint Mary's 32
San Francisco 30
Pacific 24
LMU 17
San Diego 8
 
2023 WCC Women's Soccer Preseason Team
Colby Barnett – SCU
Lindsey Chau – USF
Willow Collins – GON
Annie Karich – SCU
Sally Menti – SCU
Bre Norris – POR
Kelsey Oyler – GON
Tessa Salvestrin – SMC
Nedya Sawan – POR
Cally Togiai – POR
Marissa Vasquez, USF
Tori Waldeck – PEP
Tatum Wynalda – PEP