St. Cloud State Women’s Soccer Selected Eighth in NSIC Preseason Poll
8/14/2023 11:48:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Primerano and Zerna named NSIC Players to Watch
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Soccer was selected to finish eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league on Monday. Additionally, sophomore forward Ellie Primerano (Saint Joseph, Mich.) and junior defender Rheana Zerna (St. Michael, Minn.) were named the preseason players to watch by the NSIC.
Last season, the Huskies played to a 7-7-4 record and a 6-5-4 mark in NSIC play while head coach Gretta Macdonald became the team's all-time winningest coach with 64 wins. St. Cloud State won three of its last four matches to end the season, outscoring its opponents 5-1 in that stretch.
"The 2023 season marks our program's 30th year," said Macdonald. "We are thrilled for the opportunity to celebrate the past, present, and future of Huskies Soccer. We have three thoughtful team leaders: Jenna Dominguez, Gracie Parsons, and Juliana Da Silva. They are ready to put fresh standards in place. We're hopeful the Women's World Cup inspires our team to redefine our championship culture, play with passionate creativity and seize the opportunity to find a way together."
Primerano looks to build off a promising start to her collegiate career after an impressive freshman campaign in 2022 where she played in 11 matches and recorded three assists while earning NSIC Second Team honors.
"Ellie's strengths derive from her innate work ethic and passionate competitive drive to improve," said Macdonald. "She expects her teammates to bring their best effort and finds ways to inspire them with her tenacious on the field presence. We're hopeful Ellie will use her experience to make an immediate impact and elevate our championship culture."
Zerna repeats as the NSIC Player to Watch for the second straight season and will look to anchor the Husky defense that recorded eight shutouts and allowed just 0.89 goals per game in 2022. Zerna played 1,065 minutes and started all 13 matches she played in 2022, registering two shots on goal.
"Rheana is a detail-oriented defender," said Macdonald. "Her love of the game inspires her creativity and problem solving. She is constantly looking for ways to deny opponents' momentum and she thrives under pressure. We're hopeful Rheana will rise to a new leadership role in our backline and help us build championship consistency."
The Huskies will play three exhibition matches at home – Red/Black scrimmage (Aug. 18), Carleton (Aug. 22), Saint Benedict (Aug. 25) – before officially kicking off the 2023 season on the road against Michigan Tech on Thursday, Aug. 31. St. Cloud State first official home match will take place on Sunday, Sept. 10 when the Huskies host Minnesota State Moorhead for a nonconference match at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Season tickets for the upcoming season are now on sale at scsutickets.com. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Last season, the Huskies played to a 7-7-4 record and a 6-5-4 mark in NSIC play while head coach Gretta Macdonald became the team's all-time winningest coach with 64 wins. St. Cloud State won three of its last four matches to end the season, outscoring its opponents 5-1 in that stretch.
"The 2023 season marks our program's 30th year," said Macdonald. "We are thrilled for the opportunity to celebrate the past, present, and future of Huskies Soccer. We have three thoughtful team leaders: Jenna Dominguez, Gracie Parsons, and Juliana Da Silva. They are ready to put fresh standards in place. We're hopeful the Women's World Cup inspires our team to redefine our championship culture, play with passionate creativity and seize the opportunity to find a way together."
Primerano looks to build off a promising start to her collegiate career after an impressive freshman campaign in 2022 where she played in 11 matches and recorded three assists while earning NSIC Second Team honors.
"Ellie's strengths derive from her innate work ethic and passionate competitive drive to improve," said Macdonald. "She expects her teammates to bring their best effort and finds ways to inspire them with her tenacious on the field presence. We're hopeful Ellie will use her experience to make an immediate impact and elevate our championship culture."
Zerna repeats as the NSIC Player to Watch for the second straight season and will look to anchor the Husky defense that recorded eight shutouts and allowed just 0.89 goals per game in 2022. Zerna played 1,065 minutes and started all 13 matches she played in 2022, registering two shots on goal.
"Rheana is a detail-oriented defender," said Macdonald. "Her love of the game inspires her creativity and problem solving. She is constantly looking for ways to deny opponents' momentum and she thrives under pressure. We're hopeful Rheana will rise to a new leadership role in our backline and help us build championship consistency."
The Huskies will play three exhibition matches at home – Red/Black scrimmage (Aug. 18), Carleton (Aug. 22), Saint Benedict (Aug. 25) – before officially kicking off the 2023 season on the road against Michigan Tech on Thursday, Aug. 31. St. Cloud State first official home match will take place on Sunday, Sept. 10 when the Huskies host Minnesota State Moorhead for a nonconference match at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Season tickets for the upcoming season are now on sale at scsutickets.com. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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