NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Goldey-Beacom College men’s soccer team, fresh off its first conference playoff appearance since 2003, has been picked to finish ninth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, according to the 2010 pre-season coaches poll announced Thurs., Aug. 19.
The Lightning, who grabbed the eighth and final playoff spot last year after going 6-12 (4-7 CACC), earned 41 points in a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
Six different teams secured at least one first place vote, but it was Wilmington who topped the list with 133 points and five first-place votes. The Wildcats, which won the CACC regular season title last year, are also ranked 15th in the nation according to a pre-season National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.
Dominican grabbed the No. 2 spot with a point total of 124 and two first-place votes. Last year, the Chargers were a No. 2 seed in the CACC Tournament but were upset in the first round by eventual champion, Nyack.
Likewise, Holy Family (102 points, one first place vote) was picked to finish third after finishing the 2009 regular season at third place. The Tigers were also upset in the first round of the CACC Tournament last year by No. 6 seed Post.
Post, who fell in the conference semifinals to eventual champion Nyack, was one point behind HFU and took No. 4 in the poll with 101 points and one first-place vote.
Just one point behind Post was Bloomfield at No. 5 with 100 points and two first place votes. Bloomfield, a No. 5 seed in last year’s tournament, upset No. 4 Philadelphia, 4-0 and then shocked the conference by defeating Wilmington in a shootout, 4-2 to advance to the finals. The Deacons went on to lose 1-0 to Nyack in the finals.
Philadelphia (11-7, 7-4 CACC) was picked sixth with 95 points, followed by last year’s tournament champion Nyack at No. 7 with 88 points and one first place vote. Caldwell (60), GBC (41) and Felician (33) rounded out the top-10, followed by Chestnut Hill (32) and Concordia (27).
Head coach Dr. Michael Finizio enters his 13th season roaming the Lightning sidelines, and he returns 11 players from last year’s squad while making eight valuable additions in the offseason.
Finizio anticipates the return of graduate senior Chris Casey after he missed nearly the entire 2009 season with an offseason injury. Casey scored six points (two goals, two assists) for the Lightning in 2008.
GBC will also rely on sophomores Matt Bik and Mariano Olcese, who, according to Finizio, were strong protagonists in the Lightning’s late playoff push in 2009.
CACC Men’s Soccer 2010 Preseason Poll
|
School
|
2009 Records
|
Points
|
|
1. Wilmington (5)
|
19-3-1/11-0 CACC
|
133
|
|
2. Dominican (2)
|
13-4-2/8-2-1
|
124
|
|
3. Holy Family (1)
|
11-6-1/7-3-1
|
102
|
|
4. Post (1)
|
8-9-2/6-4-1
|
101
|
|
5. Bloomfield (2)
|
8-11-2/6-4-1
|
100
|
|
6. Philadelphia
|
11-7/7-4
|
95
|
|
7. Nyack (1)
|
10-11-1/5-5-1
|
88
|
|
8. Caldwell
|
3-12-1/3-8
|
60
|
|
9. Goldey-Beacom
|
6-12/4-7
|
41
|
|
10. Felician
|
4-13-1/1-9-1
|
33
|
|
11. Chestnut Hill
|
3-12-2/1-8-2
|
32
|
|
12. Concordia
|
3-15/3-8
|
27
|
() – First Place Votes