Stevens Leads Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s soccer team has been selected to win the 2014 Empire 8 championship. The Ducks secured five first place votes on the way to 47 total points to lead the 2014 E8 Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll. Stevens is a narrow two points clear of second place Houghton College, which received the remaining three first place nods. Ithaca College rounds out the top three with 33 points in the annual coaches’ survey (full poll results below).
Duck Discussion
Stevens will begin the 2014 season ranked No. 12 in the country according to the preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. The Ducks are coming off a season that cultivated in an 11th straight NCAA Tournament berth as well as an eighth consecutive Empire 8 championship. Offensively, Stevens will return its top two points leaders in E8 reigning player of the Year, Carson Pryor (14g, 3a), and Colin Phillips (8g, 3a) as well as top junior defender Harrison Kane and senior midfielder Kevin Calloway.
Highlander Highlights
The 2014 season marks the third year of inclusion for Houghton College as a competing Empire 8 program. For the first time, the Highlanders will factor into conference standings and be eligible to compete in the E8 postseason. However, Houghton is still unable to compete at the NCAA national level. So if Houghton wins the E8 tournament, the conference tournament runner-up will earn the AQ to the NCAA.
Houghton finished 15-4-1in 2013, including a 7-1 showing against E8 teams as they outscored league opponents 15-2. Jacob Dunnett, 2013 E8 Rookie of the Year, started all 20 games in net and posted a .835 save percentage with a .600 goals against average and 12 shutouts. Dunnett will have defensive support from a trio of first teamers in midfielder Jared Toth and defenders Tyler Ashley and Jesse Toth. Landon Sheaffer (11g, 5a), a second team all-conference honoree, returns as the Highlanders’ leading scorer.
Bomber Basics
Ithaca made its third straight appearance in the E8 tournament and ninth overall. The Bombers return all four of its all-conference honorees. Sean Forward led Ithaca in nearly every offensive category, pacing the Bombers with seven goals, five assists and 19 points. Cody Kiss, Jordan Filipowich and Jordan Gentile helped anchor a Bomber defense that gave up just 1.47 goals-per-game in 2013. Gentile earned four wins on the season after allowing just 1.33 goals-per-game. He recorded two shutouts and made 37 saves on the year.
Pioneer Points
Utica will be under new direction this season as Brian Marcantonio takes over the reigns. Marcantonio joins the Utica men's soccer staff after spending last season as an assistant coach at nearby Hamilton College. Marcantonio is no stranger to Utica College and its soccer program, having spent three seasons as an assistant men's soccer coach at UC from 2010-2012.
The Pioneers are coming off one of their most successful seasons in program-history, as Utica advanced to the E8 Championship for the first time in program-history after beating Ithaca College in the conference tournament semifinals. Midfielder Greg Silvestro is the lone all-conference returner and registered a career-high 15 points (6g, 3a) after taking a more active role in the offensive scheme.
Soaring Eagle Essentials
The Elmira College men's soccer team concluded the 2013 season with a 7-10 overall record and a 2-4 mark in the Empire 8 Conference, missing out on the year-end conference tournament by just one game. The Soaring Eagles will have lots of roster spots to fill as they said goodbye to nine departing members of the Class of 2014. Not to mention that that the top five scorers from a year ago will not be returning. The main source of stability will be found in the goal cage, as Jordan Dougherty, Kevin Higgins and Austin Mansell all return to via for the starting role and playing minutes.
Golden Flyer Focus
On the heels of its second straight sub-.500 season, Nazareth is picked to finish sixth in the E8 conference standings. Nazareth finished 6-11 overall and 3-3 in E8 games. The Golden Flyers hope to improve upon those numbers despite the absence of five of its top six scorers. The Golden Flyers instead will look to forward Lucas Bennett (2g, 1a), honorable mention midfielder Ramez Al-Hebshi (2g) and defender Brian Lang (1a).
Saxon Side-notes
Alfred will have new leadership on the sidelines this year as Matthew Smith took over the program in the spring of 2014. Smith is former head coach at Johns Hopkins University, where he compiled one of the top career coaching records in NCAA history. He also has extensive experience managing and coaching nationally-recognized youth camp and player development programs in Maryland.
All three all-conference members for the Saxons return for another season. Midfielder Richard Lander started all 17 games and led the team with 11 points (2g, 7a). Graeme Corrigan and Nicholas Poindexter stabilized the defensive line that allowed 1.76 goals against average.
Cardinal Chatter
Shane Breznak, Chris Ferrara and Joel Castellini all return to the lineup for the Cardinals after earning All-Conference Honorable Mention. Breznak started at back in 15 of 16 games this season as the Cardinals allowed 1.71 goals per game. On the front line, Ferrara led Fisher with 10 points on five goals, while Castellini ranked second on the team with seven points on two goals and three assists.
Dates to remember
Empire 8 men’s soccer fans don’t have long to wait to see their favorite teams in action. The 2014 season officially begins on Friday, August 29 with six teams taking the field for nonconference contests.
Conference play begins Saturday, Sept. 20, and this year's playoff schedule features two semifinal matches on Friday, Nov. 7, and the championship on Saturday, Nov. 8 with the top seed hosting the tournament
Follow Online
If you can’t make it out to the game be sure to check if Live Stats are available or better yet the game may be web streamed courtesy of Volar Video. Be sure to check out the schedule of streamed events by visiting
empire8.tv. The
Empire 8 scoreboard will have the latest schedule and results as well as media coverage links.
A closer look
For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites or go to the Empire 8 home on the Internet at
www.empire8.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the Empire 8 on
Facebook and follow
@Empire8 on Twitter and
Instagram.
2014 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Stevens (5 first place votes) |
47 points |
|
Houghton |
45 |
|
Ithaca |
33 |
|
Utica |
26 |
|
Elmira |
23 |
|
Nazareth |
22 |
|
Alfred |
15 |
|
St. John Fisher |
13 |