SAN DIEGO – Two-time PacWest Defending Champion, Point Loma enters the 2021 season as the favorite to win the conference according to coaches from around the league, and Lauren O'Malley and Emma Hinson were named PacWest Defender and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, on Tuesday.
 
Hinson has been the PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year in two of the last three seasons and earned the preseason version of the award after helping the Sea Lions go undefeated in the spring. O'Malley was named the PacWest Defender of the Year and earned her third All-PacWest recognition during the spring. The two have not lost a conference match in their careers with Point Loma.
 
"We've always been a pretty strong defensive team," head coach Kristi Kiely said. "We didn't necessarily set out to do that, but it's the way things have shaped up. We have an experienced back line and we are trying to add new layers to what they can do."
 
The Sea Lions also return a pair of midfielders that were named to the Preseason All-PacWest Team. Hailey Clifford and Makenna Herrero have been key parts of Point Loma winning its third and fourth PacWest titles as a program.
 
"We always miss the players that we lose, because of their experience," Kiely said. "This year, we return a lot of starters from the spring, who got a lot of important minutes under their belt, so we have a veteran group this year with some new players being added to the mix."
 
The Sea Lions also return Courtney Jo Seman, who has been a starter for each of the past three seasons, and have added a pair of NCAA Division I transfers. Abby Schmidt comes to Point Loma from Baylor, where she played in three matches during the shortened spring season. Mackenzie Kimmel is a transfer from Air Force. The native of San Diego played for two seasons with Air Force before transferring to Point Loma.
 
"We are kind of introducing two different classes to what a regular college season is," Kiely said. "Kimmel is tremendous on the ball and very explosive. She's a great thinker of the game. Schmidt is someone that we were speaking to even before she went to Baylor and had developed that connection. She's coming off an injury, but she is fitting in nicely with the team."
 
With the season opener just two days away, Point Loma is looking to build on the success of the 2019 season, when the Sea Lions successfully defended their PacWest title and reached the NCAA West Regional Championship Match against Western Washington. En route to that final, Point Loma defeated Cal Poly Pomona, and the Sea Lions will get rematches on the road against both teams during the non-conference portion of their schedule.
 
"We are going to rely on the experience and influence that specifically our seniors have," Kiely said. "Our entire senior class is leaders. They are strong with an appetite for competition, and their talent level is so high. That combination of talent and experience is very threatening, and I'm excited about that.
 
The PacWest season will start on September 25 with a trip to Fresno Pacific, where Point Loma will look to continue a 27-match unbeaten streak in conference matches. Then on September 29, the Sea Lions will play at Concordia, which was picked second in the preseason poll after also taking second place in the 2019 season. The home opener is on September 4 against San Francisco State and the first conference match at home is against Academy of Art on October 2.
 
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