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Locally: Gonzaga women’s soccer picked fifth in WCC preseason poll, Washington State second

Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate their win against the Idaho Vandals during First Round of the Women’s NCAA Soccer Tournament held at Luger Field on Sat. Nov. 11, 2023 in Spokane. (James Snook/The Spokesman-Review)
From staff reports

From staff reports

Gonzaga women’s soccer standout Marissa Garcia was named preseason all-West Coast Conference, and the Bulldogs were selected fifth in the league’s annual poll released last Friday.

The preseason poll and all-WCC team were selected by a vote of the conference’s 11 head coaches. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams and student-athletes.

Last season, Garcia was sixth in the league with nine goals, 22 points, and 29 shots on goal. The senior also started all 20 games. She is seventh in program history with 18 career goals, and eighth with 44 points. Garcia had four of her eight career assists in 2023.

Conference newcomer Washington State senior forward Grayson Lynch and sophomore midfielder Reagan Kotschau also earned all-WCC honors.

Gonzaga was picked fifth in the WCC preseason poll. The defending West Coast Conference champion Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history last season. GU went 14-4-2, and 6-1-1 in the WCC and won the program’s first-ever league title and NCAA Tournament game.

Santa Clara topped the preseason poll with nine first-place votes, while Washington State had the other two first-place votes. Pepperdine was in third, a point behind WSU and Portland was fourth.

GU opens the regular season at Utah on Thursday.

College volleyball

Idaho volleyball interim head coach Romana Redondo Kriskova announced the addition of assistant coach Ben Kasun to the program last Wednesday.

Kasun joins the Vandal staff after two years as an assistant women’s coach at Saint Francis University from 2022-24.

The Altoona, Pa. native helped lead the Red Flash to their first winning season in almost two decades after posting a 15-11 overall mark and 10-4 conference finish in 2023.