CORVALLIS, Ore. – It’s been four months since the unusual 2020 spring season – which featured a split divisional conference – finished, but the 2021 season is back to full force with all 13 Cascade Collegiate Conference women’s soccer teams returning to the field.
While Eastern Oregon University didn’t win the East Division, it won the respect of its fellow CCC teams and picked up nine of the possible 13 first-place votes to be named the preseason favorite, announced by the conference office Friday. The Mountaineers grabbed an at-large bid to the NAIA Women’s Soccer Championship and advanced to the final site. EOU finished the spring with an 8-2-3 overall record and a No. 10 postseason ranking.
After winning the West Division with a 9-1 mark, Oregon Tech grabbed two first-place votes to sit in second on the list with 154 points. The Lady Owls secured one of the CCC’s automatic qualifiers (AQ) to the NAIA Championship Tournament, but EOU kept the Owls from advancing by winning the shootout between the two conference foes. OIT finished the year at 12-1-1 and ranked No. 19 in the NAIA.
The College of Idaho got hot when it needed to and won the East Division with a 6-1-1 division record to advance to the NAIA Championship Tournament with the CCC’s second AQ. The Coyotes earned one first-place vote in the preseason poll, sitting in third with 131 points. C of I ended the year with an 8-4-2 record and receiving votes in the NAIA postseason poll.
Corban University picked up the No. 4 spot with 120 points, including a first-place vote, while Northwest University rounded out the top five with 115 points. Rocky Mountain College grabbed 96 points to sit in sixth, while Southern Oregon University earned 94 points for seventh.
Carroll College (eighth, 91 points), University of Providence (ninth, 59 points), and Warner Pacific (10
th, 50 points) fill in spots eight through 10, while The Evergreen State College makes its return to the pitch after opting out of the spring season. The Geoducks grabbed 38 points for 11
th place, followed by Bushnell University in 12
th with 32 points. Multnomah University also returns to the field and earned 18 points to close out the list.
The CCC conference season begins on Sept. 17, with the CCC Women’s Soccer Tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, returning on Nov. 9 in Springfield, Ore. Due to the divisional split, the 2020 spring season did not have a tournament.
2021 CCC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Eastern Oregon University (9) |
164 |
| 2. Oregon Tech (2) |
154 |
| 3. College of Idaho (1) |
131 |
| 4. Corban University (1) |
120 |
| 5. Northwest University |
115 |
| 6. Rocky Mountain College |
196 |
| 7. Southern Oregon University |
94 |
| 8. Carroll College |
91 |
| 9. University of Providence |
59 |
| 10. Warner Pacific University |
50 |
| 11. The Evergreen State College |
38 |
| 12. Bushnell University |
32 |
| 13. Multnomah University |
18 |
