BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Minot State’s women’s soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the annual 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll that was released Monday.

Senior Kelli Creese was named by coaches as the conference’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the 2017 season.

Minnesota State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference after earning 217 points and 11 first place votes. Augustana, who lost to Minnesota State in the 2016 NSIC championship game, registered 210 points and five first place votes. Bemidji State garnered 188 points just ahead of the Beavers who finished the voting with 187 points.

Creese was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after collecting All-Central Region Second Team and All-NSIC First Team honors in 2016 season in which she started all 18 matches and was part of the defensive unit that recorded 11 shutouts.

Creese, a 5-9 native of La Verne, Calif., played the second-most minutes on the team last season (1,557) and currently ranks third in MSU history in minutes played (4,949).

Minot State made its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, and third appearance overall, after winning the NSIC regular season title for the first time in school history in 2016. The Beavers went 16-3-1 overall and 14-0-1 in the NSIC record, which established a school record for conference wins in a season.

MSU opens the new season on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Black Hills State University.

– Minot State athletics