Men's Soccer slotted fourth in NACC Preseason Poll
WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference released its 2013 Preseason Men's Soccer Poll Wednesday morning with Concordia University Wisconsin being selected to finish fourth. The poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
CUW (11-8-2, 8-2-1 in 2012) received 190 poll points. The Falcons return a pair of First Team All-NACC performers in junior Diego Campos (Milwaukee, Wis.) and senior Jacob Pope (Muskego, Wis.), as well as 2012 All-Freshman selection Keegan Van Dusseldorp (Burlington, Wis.).
The Falcons have made a regular appearance near the top of the conference standings as they have finished in the top four every year since 2006. Last season, CUW tied for second in the regular season and advanced to the conference tournament championship match before falling to Dominican University, 2-1.
Dominican was a unanimous choice to win the league for an eighth straight season. The Stars took home all 22 first-place votes and for good reason. Since 2006 Dominican has gone 72-0-2 during the conference regular season and 13-0-1 in the conference tournament.
Following Dominican was Aurora University who received 201 points, while MSOE finished just ahead of the Falcons with 199 points. Rounding out the top six was Edgewood College (150 points) and Wisconsin Lutheran College (127 points).
Last season CUW was slated for a second-place finish behind Dominican, who was once again a unanimous choice to win the league. The Falcons, as well as MSOE and Aurora, who were slotted for third and fourth in 2012, finished tied for second place last season.
CUW will begin its 2013 campaign next Saturday, August 31 when they visit Saint John's University (Minn.) for a non-conference match at 1 p.m. The Falcons will play their first four games on the road before hosting the University of St. Thomas September 15. The Falcons will begin their conference schedule September 21 at Dominican.
September 21 will be the first day of conference games as 10 teams begin NACC play. The league tournament will be a six-team format and is scheduled to begin Nov. 2 with First Round games. The winner of the NACC Tournament receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
2013 NACC Preseason Poll
1. Dominican University (22), 242
2. Aurora University, 201
3. MSOE, 199
4. Concordia University Wisconsin, 190
5. Edgewood College, 150
6. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 127
7. Benedictine University, 115
8. Marian University, 83
9. Concordia University Chicago, 68
10. Lakeland College, 54
11. Rockford College, 23
First-place votes in parentheses
Voted by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors
11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point scale used
