LANCASTER, Pa. – The Ursinus College men's soccer team was selected ninth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll released Wednesday.
The Bears received 16 points in a vote of the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team.
Two-time defending champion Haverford collected six of a possible ten first-place votes to head the projections with 78 points, while runner-up Franklin & Marshall earned a pair of first-place nods and 73 points. Johns Hopkins owned the other two first-place votes and took third with 67 points, followed by Gettysburg (55), Dickinson (50), Swarthmore (37), Washington College (33), Muhlenberg (31), Ursinus (16), and McDaniel (10).
Head coach Keith Cappo enters his second season with a young roster featuring 15 freshmen – more than half the squad – and no seniors. The cupboard remains fairly well stocked, however, with the return of six players who started at least ten matches a year ago.
Junior John Romero and sophomore Colin Klingman, who started every game last season, are back alongside junior Justin Molyneaux to form a strong nucleus in the midfield. Molyneaux tied for the team lead with two assists in 2016, and also added his first career goal in a victory at Wilkes. Sophomore Joe Kilday appeared in all 16 contests with three starts, and the midfield unit will get a boost from newcomer Adam Azab, a former captain at Marple Newtown High School.
Juniors Derek Rudy (13 starts) and Tim Yarosh (11) are poised to lead the defense after helping to hold down the back line last season, while junior Alex Sanger (11 games, five starts) and sophomore Rocco Mesoraca (15 games, two starts) gained valuable experience there a year ago. Cappo also expects freshman D.J. Briggs to make an immediate impact.
Freshman Rocco Mesoraca scores with 38.3 seconds left in double overtime to hand the Ursinus men's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Susquehanna in the season opener
Junior Brandon Lillian takes over starting goalkeeping duties following the departure of Vince Maiorino. Lillian made three starts last season, posting a 1.21 goals-against average, a .762 save percentage, and a shutout at Wilkes.
Junior Ben Amaral will be counted upon to provide scoring punch for an Ursinus group that just 18 goals over the course of the previous campaign. Amaral was one of the Bears' most potent threats, tallying three goals and a pair of assists to rank second on the team with eight points. Freshman Alexis Ayala, a first team all-state selection at Delaware's William Penn High School, figures to help in the scoring department, while sophomore Christian D'Ascenzo garnered a pair of starts as a rookie.
Ben Amaral takes a through ball from Daan Slaats and slots home to the lower left corner of the net against Stockton
The Bears kick off the 2017 season at Susquehanna on Friday, Sept. 1. Ursinus plays its first three matches on the road before hosting Neumann in its Patterson Field opener on Sept. 13 and traveling to McDaniel to open Centennial Conference play on Sept. 16.
2017 CC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
|
Team |
2016 Record |
Points (1st) |
|
1-Haverford |
14-3-4, 8-1 |
78 (6) |
|
2-Franklin & Marshall |
15-4-4, 7-1-1 |
73 (2) |
|
3-Johns Hopkins |
12-3-3, 6-3 |
67 (2) |
|
4-Gettysburg |
9-4-3, 4-3-2 |
55 |
|
5-Dickinson |
8-8-2, 5-3-1 |
50 |
|
6-Swarthmore |
7-10-1, 3-6 |
37 |
|
7-Washington College |
10-7-2, 5-2-2 |
33 |
|
8-Muhlenberg |
4-9-3, 2-6-1 |
31 |
|
9-Ursinus |
4-11-1, 0-8-1 |
16 |
|
10-McDaniel |
5-9-3, 0-7-2 |
10 |