Stevens Favored to Capture Fifth Consecutive Empire 8 Men's Soccer Crown
Stevens Institute of Technology, which finished 6-0-1 in the regular season in conference play last year, is the choice of opposing coaches to capture its fifth Empire 8 men’s soccer title in as many years in the conference. The Ducks, who did not yield a goal in winning the postseason conference tournament last season, have posted a 165-22-22 record over the last 10 years
The Ducks will have a new look this season without head coach Tim O’Donohue, two-time Player of the Year Nolan Sandberg, and All-American goalie Zach Carr. O’Donohue was named Associate Head Coach at the University of Connecticut.
Stevens, which received five first-place votes, does return senior back Pete Bednarsky and junior forwards Zach Adler and Victor Daza, all of whom earned first-team all-conference honors last season. Bednarsky was a stalwart on the defense that yielded only six goals in 20 contests, while Daza (six goals and 17 points) and Adler (five goals and 16 points) added offensive firepower.
Nazareth College, which has advanced to the Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Championship final each of the past two years, received two first-place votes and is the coaches’ selection to place second again this season. Senior back Sean Dorman scored three goals and added three assists while helping the Golden Flyers defense limit opponents to four goals in six Empire 8 regular season victories. Midfielder Ryan Foley was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, finishing his freshman campaign with eight goals and 22 points.
Ithaca College, which has won five regular season Empire crowns, has been picked by the coaches to rebound this year and finish third after a 2-5 conference mark a year ago. Senior back Matt Anthony received all-conference honorable mention recognition.
Elmira College is the preseason choice to finish fourth and earn the final spot in the conference tournament. Sophomores Scott Leone and Ernesto Valverde each earned all-conference honors in their first season. Leone was a first-team selection, scoring nine goals and tallying 20 points, while Valverde contributed six goals and six assists to garner second-team accolades.
St. John Fisher College and Utica College have been chosen by the coaches to share fifth place this season. The Cardinals have advanced to the postseason in six of the last eight years. Sophomores Zach Wheeler, Trevor Hoxsie, and Jonathan Peterson all earned second-team all-conference honors for the Pioneers last year.
Alfred University is the coaches’ pick to place seventh this season. Junior forward Frankie Mannino has received all-conference honorable mention honors in each of his first two seasons.
Stevens won both the regular season and conference tournament titles last year, marking only the second time since 2002 (the Ducks also accomplished the feat in 2007) that a team has swept the titles. Six of the seven Empire 8 teams have qualified for the conference tournament at least once in the past three years.
Stevens is ranked 21st in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Poll, which was released yesterday.
2011 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Stevens Institute of Technology (5) 33 points
2. Nazareth College (2) 31
3. Ithaca College 25
4. Elmira College 23
5. St. John Fisher College 15
Utica College 15
7. Alfred University 6