NEW YORK – Defending CUNY Athletic Conference women's soccer regular season and tournament champion John Jay is the coaches' pick to repeat as champion in 2025 as the league released its preseason poll Tuesday morning.
The Bloodhounds, who will be seeking their fifth CUNYAC title in six seasons, finished 10-6-1 overall a season ago and 5-0 in conference play, outscoring conference foes 33-3 during the regular season. John Jay captured the 2024 conference tournament title with a 4-0 win over Lehman in the final.
Two other teams received first place votes. Lehman, last season's runner-up, totaled 19 points and earned one first place vote. Brooklyn was slotted third with 17 points, garnering the other first place nod, with 2023 champion CCNY (15), York (10) and Medgar Evers (5) rounding out the poll.
One Player to Watch from each team was also announced Tuesday morning.
The 2025 CUNYAC Women's Soccer Championship begins with a pair of semifinal contests hosted by higher seeds on Saturday, November 1. The championship game is set for Saturday, November 8 at 11:30 am at York College in a doubleheader with the men's soccer championship game later that afternoon.
2025 CUNYAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
(first place votes in parentheses)
1. John Jay (4) - 24
2. Lehman (1) - 19
3. Brooklyn (1) - 17
4. CCNY - 15
5. York - 10
6. Medgar Evers - 5
CUNYAC Women's Soccer
Players to Watch
Chelsea Gonzalez, Brooklyn - Gonzalez, an All-Star for the Bulldogs last season as a freshman, totaled 10 goals and 12 assists last season for 32 points. She ranked second on Brooklyn in both assists and total points as the Bulldogs made a CUNYAC semifinal appearance.
Lennon Leithauser, CCNY - Leithauser, a junior defender, appeared in seven games for the Beavers last season. As a freshman in 2023, she totaled two goals and three assists and started 15 games for the CUNYAC champions en route to conference All-Star accolades.
Daniela Vazquez, John Jay - Vazquez, a senior midfielder, played in all 17 games and started 16 for the Bloodhounds in 2024, totaling two goals and three assists for seven points. She has played in 45 games with 25 appearances in the starting lineup over her first three seasons.
Emily Huerta, Lehman - Huerta was the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2024, totaling a league-high 48 points on 16 goals and 16 assists. She started all 15 games for the Lightning and registered four game-winning goals on the season.
Danajah Lawrence, Medgar Evers - Lawrence, a sophomore midfielder, started 10 games as a freshman for the Cougars in 2024 and recorded four goals, including a pair of goals against York.
Alisha Adams, York - Adams, a senior forward for the Cardinals, tallied four goals and seven assists last season while starting all 14 contests. She has started all 29 games in which she has appeared in over her first three years, notching six goals and eight assists.
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