The University of Delaware women’s soccer team, seeking its fifth Colonial Athletic Association tournament appearance in the last six seasons, has been ranked No. 6 in a preseason poll of CAA coaches announced Friday.

In addition to the No. 6 ranking, it was announced that high-scoring Blue Hen senior Natalie Zelenky has been selected to the preseason All-CAA team in a vote of the conference’s 10 head coaches.

The College of William and Mary, which shared the CAA title a year ago and was one of a league-record four teams to advance to the NCAA tournament, was tabbed as the preseason favorite with 76 points and six first place votes, edging James Madison, which had 73 points and two first place votes.

Hofstra (two first place votes) was third, followed by Northeastern, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (UNCW), UD, Drexel, Elon, Towson and the College of Charleston.

James Madison senior forward Ashley Herndon was chosen as the 2016 CAA preseason women’s soccer player of the year.

“We are very excited to begin our 2016 women’s soccer season,” said UD 27th-year head coach Scott Grzenda, the only women’s soccer coach in UD history. “We relish the opportunity to compete in the best mid-major conference in the country and to showcase our team and University at the highest level.”

UD returns its top eight scorers and starting goalkeeper from a team that went 8-9-2 a year ago, finished sixth in league play with a 3-4-2 mark, and advanced to the CAA tournament before falling to UNCW. The Hens also advanced to the CAA tournament in 2011 (semifinals), 2012 and 2013. The team has won seven or more games in 16 of the last 17 seasons, including six straight.

Zelenky, a senior honor student from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was the lone Blue Hen selected to the preseason All-CAA team and was one of three forwards listed. She has earned All-CAA honors each of her three collegiate seasons, including third team All-CAA honors each of the past two seasons. She also earned NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region honors a year ago when she ranked among the top scorers in the CAA with 11 goals and two assists.

An honor student and CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee as a pre-veterinary and animal biosciences major with a minor in equine science, Zelenky ranks No. 9 all-time at UD in career goals (19) and No. 11 in career points (45) and could become just the fourth player in UD history with 30 career goals if she matches her 2015 output.

“It’s a great honor to have Natalie selected to the preseason All-CAA team,” said Grzenda. “She is a team leader, a fantastic soccer player, and also a tremendous student and ambassador for women’s soccer and the University of Delaware.”

UD will open the season with road games at Villanova on Aug. 19, at Syracuse on Aug. 21, and at Georgetown on Aug. 25, before the home opener on Aug. 28 against Saint Joseph’s at 1 p.m. at Stuart and Suzanne Grant Stadium.