Colgate is favored to take the Patriot League title. No surprise here: The Raiders have won the Patriot League regular-season women’s soccer title four times in the last five years and seven times in the 11-year history of the Patriot League and also captured top honors in the post-season championship tournament nine times in 11 years, including a six-year run from 1994-to-1999. Colgate received half of the first-place votes from the 16 voters and finished with 82 points to take the top spot in the poll. Navy (78 points) picked up four first-place votes while Holy Cross (74) gained two. Bucknell (66) and American (41) were the top choice by one voter. The Raiders, will be led this season by senior forward Angela Puliafico (East Woodstock, Conn.), who is a three-time second-team Patriot League all-star. Puliafico was second on the team in scoring last season with six goals and three assists, including three game-winning goals. CU also returns a strong midfield, built around sophomore Kate Barrett (Troy, N.Y.), who earned first-team All-League and Rookie of the Year honors last season. CU, which won the regular-season title last year with an 11-9 overall record (4-2 PL), also expects help from its incoming freshman class. Senior midfielder Justine Fisher (Tucson, Ariz.) is one of seven returning starters for Navy, which posted a 10-9-2 overall record last year (3-2-1 PL). Fisher, a three-time first-team All-League selection, finished second in the PL in scoring last season with 13 goals and seven assists for 33 points. Fisher was the PL Rookie of the Year in 1998 and the Offensive Player of the Year in ’99. Holy Cross (10-11-1, 3-2-1 PL) finished second in the regular-season last year, but upended Colgate in the League championship match and earn the PL’s automatic bid to the NCAA championship tournament. Senior midfielder Kate O’Shaughnessy (Marion, Mass.), who finished fourth in the League scoring race last year with nine goals and four assists for 22 points, is a three-time PL all-star, including a two-time first-team All-League choice. The Crusaders midfield is also strengthened by sophomore Sarah Comeaux (N. Easton, Mass.), who was second-team All-League pick as a rookie. Bucknell, 8-9-1 overall last season (3-2-1 PL), has been building its nucleus the past two seasons and may be ready for a break-out season in 2001. The Bison return three PL all-stars to the lineup this season, including sophomore forward Kristie Simon (La Grange, Ill.), junior midfielder Tara Utchel (Heidelberg, Pa.) and junior defender Karla Killian (Dayton, Md.). Simon tied for fifth in the PL in scoring last season with nine goals and three assists for 21 points to earn first-team All-League honors. Utchel, the 1999 PL Rookie of the Year, earned first-team All-PL honors, and Killian gained second-team all-star recognition a year ago. Despite missing the League championship tournament by just one game last year, Army (41 points), Lehigh (33) and Lafayette (29) join newcomer American (41) in the role of challenger for a playoff spot this season. American posted a 2-13-2 overall record last year, including a 1-7 mark in its final season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Eagles return six seniors, led by forward Diane Wootton (Damascus, Md.) and goalie Jackie Sierodzinski (Long Valley, N.J.). Wootton was AU’s top scorer last year with six goals and three assists for 15 points. Sierodzinski registered a 2.16 goals against average and a 75.6 save percentage while playing every minute of the 2000 season. Army, 8-11-0 overall last season (2-4 PL), tied AU for fifth in the preseason poll. Juniors Lauren Rowe (Woodbridge, Va.) and Emily Nay (Clifton, Va.) were both second-team All-League selections in 2000. Rowe shared team-high scoring honors with four goals and two assists while Nay was the linchpin in Army’s midfield. Lehigh’s strength during last year’s 8-8-1 campaign (2-3-1 PL) was its defense, and returning to the lineup this season is first-team All-League defender Jen Karpovich (Marlton, N.J.). Offensively, the Mountain Hawks got the spark from attacker Lauren Rybas (Bensalem, Pa.) and midfielder Michi Matter (Delran, N.J.), who were both second-team All-League selections in 2000. Lafayette, which posted its best overall record last year (11-8-0) in the 11-year history of the Patriot League, features forward Emily Myers (Hershey, Pa.), who earned first-team All-League honors and led the PL in scoring last season with 16 goals and seven assists for 39 points. Classmates Brianna Ricnchiuso (Norwell, Mass.) in the midfield and Katie Fina (Morrisville, Pa.) on defense give the Leopards three returning League all-stars, tying Bucknell for the PL lead.