Tartans to Start 2021 Season Ranked Fifth in United Soccer Coaches Pre-Season Poll

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – As the highly anticipated 2021 fall season approaches, the Carnegie Mellon University women's soccer team will start the year ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches National Pre-Season Poll. When last on the field for a full season in 2019, the Tartans appeared in the Division III Women's Soccer National Semifinal against eventual champion, Messiah College.

The United Soccer Coaches weekly poll is presented by Verizon and shows the Tartans fifth behind No. 1 Messiah, No. 2 William Smith, No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 4 Washington University in St. Louis. The poll is a reflection of the final 2019 season rankings.

The 2020 Tartans played three games in the spring of 2021 to a 1-1-1 record.

Returning to the 2021 team is a host of players with national tournament experience with 13 seniors and juniors on the squad. Juniors Alex Adams (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) and Helena Spencer (Warrenton, Va. / Patriot) led the offense in 2019 combining for 20 of the team's 52 goals scored. Adams set the school record for points in a season with 34 and tied the school mark with 14 goals on her way to garnering All-America recognition by United Soccer Coaches and D3soccer.com. Spencer was the second leading scorer for the Tartans with six goals and assisted on Adams' goal in the national semifinal 1-1 draw against Messiah. Both Spencer and senior midfielder Jocelyn Mayer (New York, N.Y. / The Dalton School) were honored with NCAA All-Tournament recognition.

Senior Maddy Lui (Basking Ridge, N.J. / Ridge) and junior Rachel Legg (Kansas City, Mo. / Pembroke Hill) return as defenders for the Tartans. Lui has started 38 of 40 games throughout her career and along with Legg anchored the defense, which posted 11 shutouts in 2019 including four through the NCAA tournament run. Like Adams, Legg was honored on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region team becoming the second set of first-year players to reap All-Region recognition for the Tartans.

Graduate student Carolyn Botz (St. Louis, Mo. / MICDS) returns as a veteran goal keeper after posting a 2-2 record with two shared shutouts prior to being sidelined due to an injury early in the 2019 season. Botz returned to the lineup in the NCAA tournament as the keeper during the team's two penalty kick shootouts, making a save against the University of St. Thomas to propel the team to the national semifinal.

The Tartans start the season on Wednesday, September 1 when they welcome Washington and Jefferson College to campus for a 5:00 p.m. contest.