WINTHROP, Mass. – The Suffolk men's soccer team has been slotted to finish ninth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) preseason coaches' poll, the league office announced Thursday morning.
The Rams, who earned 64 points with one first-place nod, were pegged to finish ahead of Lasell (36), Anna Maria (32) and Rivier (16).
Four points separate the projected champion and runner-up. Seven GNAC head coaches believe the Monks of Saint Joseph's (Maine) (135) winning the conference crown for the fourth consecutive campaign, while three managers picked the Cadets of Norwich (131) to take the title home.
Five points behind the top two with 126 points and one first-place vote was Johnson & Wales with Colby Sawyer (97) and Emmanuel (81) completing the top five.
The Rams were plagued by injuries a year ago, but managed to put together a 4-11-1 overall record. The 3-7-1 league ledger, however, was not enough for the blue-and-gold to punch into the conference postseason field.
Back in the Rams' line-up to help Suffolk back to playoff contentment is senior James Fisher (5g) and sophomore Leonardo Acosta (3g, 2a) the top scoring threats from last season. Both Christian Restrepo (2g, 3a in 2017), an all-conference second-team selection in 2017, and Jarrett Davis (2g, 7a in 2016), the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year, look to make comebacks are being sidelined with injuries. In net, the Rams will rely on sophomore Tom Bennett's (2.46 GAA, .700%) experience.
| 2019 GNAC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES' POLL | ||||||
| SCHOOL 1. Saint Joseph's (Maine) 2. Norwich 3. Johnson & Wales 4. Colby Sawyer 5. Emmanuel 6. Regis 7. Saint Joseph (Conn.) 8. Albertus Magnus 9. Suffolk 10. Lasell 11. Anna Maria 12. Rivier |
POINTS (FPV) |
2018 OVERALL 21-1-0 11-3-4 12-6-3 7-8-2 5-11-2 8-6-2 8-5-2 6-6-5 4-11-1 4-12-2 2-15-1 1-15-3 |
2018 GNAC RECORD 11-0-0 7-2-2 8-2-1 6-3-2 4-5-2 4-5-2 5-4-2 5-2-4 3-7-1 3-6-2 0-10-1 0-10-1 |
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