WALTHAM, Mass. – With 22 players back from last year's squad, the Bentley University field hockey team has been listed seventh in the 2017 Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches poll. With 84 points, the Falcons finished between Assumption College (105) and Southern New Hampshire (78) in the voting.

There was no consensus at the top of the rankings with five different programs collecting at least one first-place vote. Six of those went to defending regular season champion Saint Anselm College, which topped the list with 147 points. Stonehill College and LIU Post followed, with 139 and 135 respectively, each earning two first-place nods.

Tenth-year head coach Jessica Spencer returns six players who started at least 13 games for last year's club that finished 7-11 overall and tied for seventh in the 13-team conference. Among the returnees is leading scorer Sam Pavano (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand HS), who finished with six goals and four assists during her freshman season.

Spencer will be able to call upon six seniors this season, including two who were Academic All-Northeast-10 honorees in 2016, Katie Quilty (Marstons Mills/Barnstable HS) and Frankie Tossona (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn HS).

Bentley will open its season Thursday night with a non-conference match at Southern New Hampshire. The home opener is six days later, Sept. 6, against Merrimack College.     

NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES POLL

(First-place votes in parentheses)