WATERVILLE, Me. (August 30, 2021) – New head coach Zach Ward and the SUNY Delhi women's soccer team were selected as the NAC West preseason favorites, earning 25 points and earning all five first-place votes. Backed by a strong returning class and featuring many of the faces that highlighted the 2019 team that won nine matches with two draws and reached the NAC Semifinals, the Broncos appear poised to make a deep run come late October.

Coach Ward knows a thing or two when it comes to competing in the NAC, as he served as the women's assistant coach at Maine Maritime when the Mariners captured the 2019 NAC Championship. Coincidentally, MMA's road to the league title involved a pair of hard-fought, one-goal wins over SUNY Delhi, with the latter coming in the NAC Semifinals. Three of Delhi's 2019 All-NAC selections are back this fall, including First Team defender Olivia Curry, First Team midfielder Kelsey Innes, and Second Team forward Micayla Slattery. Innes ranked third in the conference with 37 points, 15 goals, and seven assists, while Slattery was second in the NAC with nine assists.

Two crucial returners to the program are senior midfielder Alexa DuBois and senior goalie Rachael Scoones. DuBois took fourth in the NAC with 34 points and 15 goals in 2019, and was twice selected NAC Athlete of the Week. Scoones was a two-time NAC Defensive Player of the Week recipient, posting two shutouts in 2019 with a .806 save percentage and a 1.91 goals allowed average. In total, Delhi's defense accrued four shutout victories and allowed just 35 goals. The Broncos' endurance was also put to the test in 2019, going to overtime in seven matches. Six contests were decided by one goal.

SUNY Poly took the second spot with 17 points, followed by SUNY Canton in third with 15 points. Cazenovia took fourth with 11 votes, then NVU Johnson with seven votes. Husson was chosen the NAC East favorite with 33 points and four first-place votes.

Season Outlook:

Head Coach Zach Ward leads the Broncos into their first active NCAA Division III season. He looks to build on a NAC semifinal appearance in 2019 with a talented group of returners featuring a number of First and Second All-Conference players from the same season. Goalie Rachael Scoones returns to the cage while Micayla Slattery, Kelsey Innes, Olivia Curry, and Lexi DuBois will cover the pitch as the squad vies for the NAC title and their first NCAA AQ.

2021 Schedule:

The ladies open things up with a road meeting at Morrisville State on Sept. 1, followed by home non-conference showdowns with SUNY Old Westbury and Elmira. Delhi then heads off to the New England College Tournament, playing Roger Williams on Sept. 10, then the host Pilgrims on Sept. 11. The Broncos have a four-game home stand to close September, beginning with Keystone on Sept. 15 and opening their NAC slate against NVU Johnson Sept. 18, NVU Lyndon Sept. 25, and Maine Farmington Sept. 26.

SUNY Delhi enters October with five NAC contests and one non-conference. They continue their NAC West campaign at Cazenovia Oct. 2, then host Sage in a non-league matchup on Oct. 5. It's then off to Maine for a weekend slate at Maine Maritime on Oct. 9 and Thomas Oct. 10, then back to New York for a NAC West road affair at SUNY Poly Oct. 16. They play host to SUNY Canton in Oct. 23 in their regular season finale.

The divisional round of the championship tournament will take place Oct. 30-31, and the NAC Championship Nov. 6. Teams will be ranked within each division for seeding and selection into the first round of the conference championship tournament. The top seed in each half will host quarterfinal and semifinal contests, then East and West champions will vie for the NAC Championship and automatic qualification (AQ) to the NCAA championship tournament. Separate, overall standings including all twelve teams will determine which divisional champion will host the title match.