Women’s Soccer Enters 2022 at No. 4 in CCC
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
La Grande – (Release from Eastern Oregon University) EOU Women’s Soccer enters the fall ranked fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference receiving three first place votes and 132 points in the preseason poll. The three teams ahead of the Mounties are Oregon Tech (1), College of Idaho (2), and Southern Oregon University (3).
The Mounties return to the pitch in 2022 looking to get back on track after missing the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2016.
EOU all-time winningest coach, Jake Plocher, returns to the helm after leading the Mounties to their seventh consecutive winning season. Plocher will look to crack the triple digits in the win column as a head coach during 2022 sitting just nine wins away from 100 career wins.
Eastern is coming off an 11-6 season in 2021 and an 8-4 mark in conference play. The Mounties finished fifth in the CCC and fell to No. 4 Northwest University 0-2 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to finish the campaign. EOU has made the national tournament in four of the last five seasons.
The Mounties bring back 16 letterwinners and 6 starters from the season prior. Notable returners Erika Skindlov (second team All-CCC), Cassidy Quick, Darby Mcdevitt, and Brooke Ford will look to lead a junior-heavy team back into the national tournament.
“We have a well-balanced team, a great mix of returners and incoming players,” Coach Jake Plocher said. “The team has been working hard during the preseason and our chemistry is coming along nicely.”
EOU will have to find a way to counter the loss of two-time honorable mention All-American Sarah Mitchell, and Mountaineer all-time goal-scoring leader Morgan Farrington.
The Mounties begin their regular season in Florida when they take on Keiser University on Aug. 21. Conference play will start on Friday, Sept. 16 when the Mounties play in Community Stadium against Multnomah University at 4:00 p.m.
