BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears have been picked to finish fourth in the 2011 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Soccer standings in a vote of the league's coaches.  The MASCAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll was released today by conference Director of Media Relations, Jim Seavey.

Bridgewater State finished behind preseason favorite Worcester State University in the poll as well as Westfield State University and MCLA.  Worcester, the defending MASCAC champions, garnered 60 points and five first place votes, while Westfield captured the other three first place votes and a total of 55 points.  MCLA was next in third place with 44 points, while the Bears followed with 40 points.  Salem State University rounded out the top five with 32 points.

Head Coach Lou Verrochi begins his second season at the helm of the BSU women's soccer program.  Verrochi directed the 2010 Bears to a record of 6-10-2 and a spot in the MASCAC Tournament championship game.  The Bears knocked off top seeded MCLA in the tournament semifinals via penalty kicks, before falling 1-0 to Worcester in the title match.

At the forward position, senior All-MASCAC Second Team selection Jordan McDermott (East Bridgewater, Mass.) along with classmate Amber LaPorte (New Hartford, Conn.) and junior Molly Copeland (North Falmouth, Mass.) are all returning starters.  McDermott, who started all 18 games, notched seven goals and three assists for 17 points in 2010 as she led the team and ranked fourth in the MASCAC in both goals and scoring. Copeland finished with four goals and three assists for 11 points while LaPorte added two goals and a pair of helpers.

Senior Carrie Robitaille (Ludlow, Mass.) and sophomore Katie Nasuti (Millbury, Mass.) provide a veteran presence at the midfield position. Nasuti, a central midfielder, started 12 games in her rookie season at Bridgewater while Robitaille made 11 starts and notched a goal.  Junior defender Jillian Herr (Saugus, Mass.) has started all 36 games for the Bears over the previous two seasons.  An All-MASCAC Second Team selection as a freshman in 2009, Herr will anchor the BSU defense in 2011.

Junior Kristen Rowe (Burlington, Mass.) is the lone returning netminder from a year ago.  Rowe appeared in three games and posted a 1.19 goals against average in 2010. She will vie for the starting goaltending spot left vacated with the graduation of three-year starter, Kayla Grover.

The 2011 BSU roster will be bolstered by the arrival of three transfers; sophomore goaltender Kristen Condon (Whitman, Mass.), junior defender Melanie Thomson (Abington, Mass.) and sophomore forward Caley McClendon (Keene, N.H.).

Condon started eight games and made 12 appearances between the pipes for Wheaton College last season.  A Patriot League All-Star at Whitman-Hanson High School, Condon posted a record of 6-2 with 34 saves and a 0.85 goals against average in her only season at Wheaton.  Thomson, who comes to Bridgewater via Division I Northeastern University, starred in high School at Archbishop Williams and was a Catholic Central League All-Star.  McClendon was a major contributor to a Mitchell College squad which captured the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2010.  An All-NECC Second Team selection as a freshman, McClendon led the team in scoring with 12 goals and three assists for 27 points.