PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Coming off back-to-back WIAC Tournament Championship game appearances, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's soccer team was picked to finish second in the 2025 WIAC Preseason Poll, which was released on Wednesday afternoon.

UW-La Crosse, the three-time defending champion, finished atop the poll, while UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point rounded out the top half following the Pioneers. The back half of the poll featured UW-River Falls, UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Stout, respectively.

Under head coach Eliza Denmeade, the Pioneers set a new program record for single season wins in 2024, going 14-3-4 overall and 4-0-3 in conference play. Now entering her third season, Denmeade welcomes back 12 letterwinners and just four starters from last year's team.

A pair of All-WIAC selections headlines the returners in junior forward Jess Morawski and junior defender Lexi Ward. Morawski earned First Team and All-Region honors following a 16-goal campaign in which she totaled 38 points, tied for the second-most in a single season in program history. Ward also brought home All-Region honors in addition to WIAC Honorable Mention after starting all 21 games and leading a defensive unit that allowed a conference low 0.90 goals per game.

Joining that duo among returners are senior Izzy Streeter, juniors Meghan Frantz and Alyssa Jarock, and sophomore Jorie Carr. Streeter scored one goal and added three assists last season, while Jarock and Carr combined for three goals and a pair of assists. Frantz played in nine games as a reserve, and likely steps into a bigger role in the Pioneers attack this season.

The Pioneers open the 2025 season on the road against Augsburg on Friday, August 29. A week later is the home opener versus St. Scholastica on Friday, September 5, and WIAC competition begins at UW-Stout on Saturday, October 3.