KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The McKendree Women's Soccer team opens the 2021 season ranked No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 poll that was released by the organization on Wednesday afternoon.

McKendree is coming off a 14-2-1 overall record and an 11-2-1 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Bearcats captured both the regular season and postseason titles during the 2020-21 season that was held during the spring due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Bearcats have won two consecutive regular season titles as they also took home the regular season title in 2019.

The Bearcats return 19 letterwinners and 10 of 11 starters, including sophomore midfielder/forward Anna Stiffler (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic), who was named the 2020-21 GLVC Freshman of the Year, from last season's team. Along with Stiffler, senior midfielder Emma Knoebel (Maryville, Ill./Collinsville) and fifth-year senior defender Danielle Knutson (Maryville, Ill./Collinsville) are returning First-Team All-GLVC selections from a season ago.

Head coach Tim Strange is entering his 22nd season with the women's program and was named the GLVC Coach of the Year and his coaching staff was named the Midwest Regional Staff of the Year by the USC in 2020-21.

The women's soccer program finished last season ranked fourth in the final USC Division II Coaches Top 25 poll and that No. 4 ranking was the highest for the program since jumping to the Division II ranks in 2012.

McKendree is the lone team from the GLVC ranked in the USC Preseason Top 25 poll.

Strange's 22nd Bearcat team opens its 2021 season with an exhibition match on Aug. 17 at Leemon Field at 11 a.m. against Lewis & Clark Community College and begins its regular season on Sept. 2 with a 12 p.m. match in Indianapolis, Ind., against Ashland University. The first regular season home match is scheduled for Sept. 5 at 12 p.m. against Missouri S&T.