The Creighton women’s soccer team was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches’ poll behind Illinois State and Missouri State.

Players and coaches have similar views of how the season will be affected by the team being picked to finish third.

“When we’ve been first, we’ve been gunned for, but being third, people have us in the back of their mind,” senior forward Jordan Bruch said. “We’re going to surprise people, being young and having speed, without the pressure of being first.”

The Bluejays finished last season with a 12-6-1 record, returning six starters along with 17 others. The team has added 11 new players who will look to fill the empty spaces of those who left after last season, namely all-time leading scorer Marcy Gans and record-setting goalkeeper Kristen Casey.

“Twenty of our 28 are freshman and sophomores. The two main factors have been transfers,” head coach Bruce Erickson said.

The third-place ranking has not bothered many members of the team as much as one would think.

“It’s a big relief of pressure. There’s nothing negative about it,” senior midfielder Kyla Hoskins said.

So far this season, the Bluejays have a 5-1-1 record with wins against teams like Cal State Northridge, along with a 0-0 draw against Iowa State.

Creighton heads to Lincoln this weekend to take on Akron in the Adidas Husker Classic.