IRVINE, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i women's soccer team has been selected to finish seventh in the 2013 Big West Conference Preseason Poll as determined by a vote of the league's nine head coaches. The 2012 regular-season champion Cal State Fullerton was selected as a repeat winner of the conference title.
 
The Rainbow Wahine enter their second season in the Big West after making their debut in the league last year. UH went 8-9-3 overall in 2012 under the direction of head coach Michele Nagamine, including a sixth place finish (3-5-1) in the Big West. The team was picked to finish tied for ninth in last year's poll. Nagamine returns 16 players and nine starters from last year's squad. A total of 11 newcomers also join the team.
 
Cal State Fullerton received five first-place votes in balloting among the Big West's nine head coaches for a total of 72 points.  Long Beach State and UC Irvine collected one first-place vote apiece and tied for second in the poll with 62 points.  The remaining two first-place nods went to Cal Poly, which placed fourth with 59 points.  Cal State Northridge, the 2012 Big West Tournament champion, collected 54 points for fifth place.     UC Santa Barbara (30 pts), Hawai'i (27), UC Davis (22) and UC Riverside (17) rounded out the preseason poll.
 
The coaches also selected a 12-player preseason all-conference team with forward UH Tiana Fujimoto making the list. The native of Honolulu was named all-Big West honorable mention as a sophomore last year after leading he team and finishing third in the Big West with eight goals. She also recorded two assists and tallied a team-high 18 points. The coaches voted for a 12-player preseason all-conference team with representation from seven different schools.  Long Beach State placed three players on the squad (Elizabeth Lyons, Eileen Maes, Taylor Nelson) while Cal Poly (Sara Epps, Elise Kreighoff), Cal State Northridge (Taylor Hobson, Chloe McDaniel) and UC Irvine (Natalia Ledezma, Cami Privett) had two apiece.  Cal State Fullerton's Chelsey Patterson, Ashley Edwards of UC Davis and Fujimoto rounded out the list.
 
The Rainbow Wahine are eight days away from their season opener at versus UNC Greensboro on Friday, Aug. 23 in the OHANA Hotels and Resorts No Ka Oi tournament. UH will open up Big West play on the road at defending champ and preseason favorite Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Oct. 4.
 
 
2013 Coaches' Poll
Team (1st place votes) -Points
1. Cal State Fullerton (5) - 72
2. Long Beach State (1) -62
    UC Irvine (1) -62
4. Cal Poly (2) - 59
5. Cal State Northridge - 54
6. UCSB - 30
7. Hawai'i  - 27
8.  UC Davis - 22
9.  UC Riverside - 17