NEAC preseason poll ranks Wells men's soccer second
After advancing to the 2015 North Eastern Athletic Conference championship game, the Wells College men's soccer team was projected to contend for the conference title once again after league coaches picked Wells second in the 14-team NEAC according to the 2016 NEAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Wells enters the 2016 season under the leadership of head coach Dan Kane, the reigning NEAC Coach of the Year. Wells was 13-7-0 overall in 2015 with a 9-3-0 NEAC record. The Express defeated Keuka College 2-1 in the NEAC conference tournament semifinals, and then lost 1-0 in overtime to Morrisville State College in the title game.
The roster includes 15 returning players and five returning starters. Among the returning players for Wells are 2015 All-NEAC selections in junior goalkeeper Owen May and senior midfielder Jesse Constantino. Junior defender Jim Duchesneau and senior midfielder Tucker Adams are also among the top returning players.
The Express begins its season Thursday, Sept. 1 with a 5:45 p.m. home game against Keystone College, part of a three-game homestand to begin the season. The first conference game is Sunday, Sept. 11 against Keuka at 2 p.m.
Two-time defending conference champions Morrisville State College were picked to finish first in the conference and received 12 first-place votes. Lancaster Bible College and Keuka College were tied with Wells on points, but ranked third and fourth based on tiebreaker criteria.
The preseason poll rankings were conducted by the NEAC men's soccer coaches, with each coach ranking all teams but their own using a staggered points system (13 points for a first-place vote, 12 points for second, etc.). No self-voting was allowed. | Full story at NEAC website
2016 NEAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank, School, Points
(First-place votes in parentheses)
1. Morrisville State College (12), 168
2. Wells College, 142*
3. Lancaster Bible College, 142*
4. Keuka College, 142*
5. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (1), 121
6. Penn State Berks, 104
7. Penn State Abington (1), 100
8. Cazenovia College, 84
9. Bryn Athyn College, 75
10. Penn College, 67
11. Wilson College, 48
12. Gallaudet University, 40
13. SUNY Cobleskill, 26
14. College of Saint Elizabeth, 15
*Ties broken by higher ordinal number points
