ROSEMONT, Ill. ââ'¬" Returning starters Vanessa Korolas, Hannah Leinert and Dannah Williams of Purdue women's soccer have been highlighted among the Big Ten's preseason honors list unveiled Monday by the conference office.
Korolas, Leinert and Williams were among the Boilermakers' most consistent players last year, helping lead Purdue to its first winning season since 2009. All three players started both preseason exhibition games last week and will lead the Boilermakers into action as the season-opening weekend kicks off Friday vs. Marshall.
Korolas has started all 37 regular-season games at outside back the last two years and is moving to center back this year. She'll team with Williams to comprise the heart of the Purdue backline. Williams started 16 games as a freshman a year ago, making the move from midfielder to center back during the opening weekend of Big Ten play. She went on to play every minute of the remainder of the season after the transition. Korolas was second on the team in minutes played in 2015.
Leinert missed only one game in her first year as a Boilermaker, contributing to 12 of the team's 28 goals by scoring seven times and assisting on five other goals. She accounted for game-winning goals in victories vs. Evansville, Montana and Nebraska while also making significant contributions in wins vs. Illinois and Maryland. The Illinois State transfer has scored 34 goals during her college career. With three-year scoring leader Maddy Williams redshirting this fall after suffering a knee injury in April, Leinert's presence up top takes on even more significance this season.
Each coaching staff around the Big Ten selected three of its own players for the preseason honors list, leading to a group of 42 highlighted student-athletes from around the 14-team league. Dannah Williams was one of only six sophomores on the list. Women's soccer is the first intercollegiate sport of the 2016-17 school year to open its regular season around the country, kicking off Friday. Purdue was victorious in shutout fashion in both of its exhibition games for the second year in a row. Marshall and Montana are the opponents for the opening weekend.
The Boilermakers have the advantage of playing six of their 11 conference games at home this year. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio State, Maryland, Indiana and Michigan State all visit West Lafayette this season. Purdue recorded six of its nine wins at home in 2015.
Defending NCAA champion and perennial league favorite Penn State was once again tabbed as the team to beat in the league's preseason poll. Rutgers was picked second after reaching the Big Ten Tournament title game and later the NCAA College Cup, losing to PSU at both marquee events, a year ago. The Boilermakers played both teams tough at home last season, battling Rutgers to a scoreless draw and holding the lead in the second half vs. PSU. Along with a Sept. 1 non-conference game at top 10-ranked West Virginia, those games should be Purdue's toughest road tests this year. The Boilermakers also visit Illinois, Northwestern and Iowa this fall.
Purdue was predicted to finish 11th in the preseason poll. To achieve its goal of qualifying for the postseason via a top eight finish in the Big Ten standings, games against the teams in the five through 10 spots in the preseason poll should prove to be especially important. That group includes Ohio State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, Michigan State as well as Nebraska, one of the Boilermakers' non-plays this year along with Michigan.
The Big Ten season kicks off the weekend of Sept. 15 to 18. Other non-conference games against Baylor, Cincinnati, Dayton and Utah will certainly present welcomed challenges over the first month of the campaign.