Men’s Soccer Picked Second in NAC Preseason Poll

WAUKESHA, Wis. -- The Northern Athletics Conference announced its 2011 men's soccer preseason coaches' poll and the Concordia University Wisconsin men's soccer program was chosen second overall. Five-time defending champion, Dominican University, was selected first after receiving 11-of-12 first-place votes and 143 points.

The Falcons return five players who received NAC All-Conference recognition a season ago, after helping the team finish with a 12-6-3 record. It was the 17th time in Saleska's 18-year career at the helm that his program earned double-digit victories.

CUW's season begins with a non-conference match on Thursday, Sept. 1, against St. Norbert College at 5 p.m. at Fitting Field. The contest is the second part of a doubleheader with the women's program that hosts UW-Whitewater at 3 p.m. There is free admission to all regular season games.

CUW (12-6-3, 7-2-2) grabbed the second spot in the poll with 117 points, after finishing fourth last season. Aurora University (13-7-1, 10-1-0) was a close third with 115 points while MSOE (10-9-0, 8-3-0) is right behind in fourth with 113. Edgewood College (7-11-0, 5-6-0) and Benedictine University (9-9-1, 5-5-1) round out the top half in fifth and sixth. The full preseason poll is available below.

Teams open play on Sept. 1, 2 or 3, and the first conference games take place on Sept. 6. The winner of the conference tournament, which takes place Oct. 29, through Nov. 5, receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.

2011 Northern Athletics Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Dominican (11), 143
2. Concordia Wisconsin, 117
3. Aurora, 115
4. MSOE, 113
5. Edgewood, 92
6. Benedictine, 80
7. Marian, 75
8. Lakeland, 61
9. Wisconsin Lutheran, 44
10. Concordia Chicago, 38
11. Maranatha, 34
12. Rockford (1), 24

first-place votes in parentheses
voted on by the conference's 12 head coaches

To view the complete NAC release, click here.