BOSTON — Hartford and UMBC, the two teams that have played for the last two America East men's soccer titles, have been tabbed co-favorites in the 2015 preseason coaches' poll, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon. The voting was conducted by the conference’s eight head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Both the Hawks and Retrievers received four first-place votes and 46 total points to share the top spot atop the poll. Vermont was chosen third with 34 points, followed by UMass Lowell in fourth with 27 points. Albany (23 points) was next in fifth with New Hampshire (18) in sixth, Binghamton (16) in seventh and Stony Brook (14) rounding out the poll.
The 2015 men's soccer season begins on Friday, Aug. 28 with all eight America East teams in action. Conference play begins on Saturday, Oct. 3 while the six-team America East Championship begins with quarterfinal action on Nov. 7 and continues with the semifinal round on Nov. 11. The conference champion will be crowned on either Nov. 14 or 15 with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, where America East teams have advanced to the second round in 11 of the last 14 seasons. Last year, UMBC became the conference's first team to reach the NCAA College Cup and finished the season ranked fourth in the country.
Here is the full poll:
2015 Preseason Poll (1st-place votes)
T1. Hartford (4), 46 pts.
T1. UMBC (4), 46
3. Vermont, 34
4. UMass Lowell, 27
5. Albany, 23
6. New Hampshire, 18
7. Binghamton, 16
8. Stony Brook, 14
Preview each of the teams below --
T1. Hartford Hawks
2014 record: 11-6-2, 5-2-0, AE Runner Up (2nd)
- Hartford, which received votes in the NSCAA preseason national rankings, returns 18 letterwinners and nine starters from a team that reached the America East championship game for the second straight year in 2014.
- The Hawks return their top three scorers from last year. Udi Cohen, Jeff Tryon and Javoni Simms combined for 10 goals and 10 assists a year ago.
- Five all-conference selections are back for the Hawks, including first-teamers Simms, senior back Jhamie Hyde and senior midfielder Rohan Roye.
- The Hawks' schedule will feature four opponents that reached the NCAAs last year. They open against Holy Cross on August 28.
2. UMBC Retrievers
2014 record: 14-6-5, 6-0-1, AE Champion (1st), NCAA College Cup
- UMBC is coming off the best season of any men's soccer team in conference history as it reached the NCAA College Cup in 2014.
- The Retrievers have won three consecutive America East titles and are ranked 12th nationally in the NSCAA preseason poll.
- UMBC has 16 letterwinners and three starters back from its Final Four squad, including goalkeeper Billy Heavner, the reigning America East Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
- A dozen home games highlight UMBC's schedule, which kicks off Aug. 28 against Fairfield.
3. Vermont Catamounts
2014 record: 8-9-2, 2-4-1, AE Semifinals (T5th)
- Vermont advanced to the America East Championship for the the 10th time in 11 years a season ago and seeks its first league title since 2007 this year.
- UVM returns three of its top four scorers from 2014, including America East All-Conference first-team selection, Brian Wright, who ranked among the league leaders in goals (9) and points (21).
- The Catamounts open the 2015 slate on Aug. 28 at Sacred Heart and will face four teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
4. UMass Lowell River Hawks
2014 record: 8-9-1, 4-2-1, Ineligible for postseason (3rd)
- UMass Lowell increased its win total by five last season and went 5-1-1 down the stretch. The River Hawks bring back the bulk of its roster, returning 26 players.
- Junior Wuilito Fernandes, a first-team All-America East standout last season, was one of 30 players named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
- The River Hawks' schedule will feature four games against NCAA foes in 2015, including their season opener against Monmouth on August 28.
5. Albany Great Danes
2014 record: 4-9-6, 2-4-1, AE Quarterfinals, (T5th)
- Albany was chosen to finish fifth in the conference for the second-straight year.
- Reigning America East Rookie of the Year Afonso Pinheiro, who ranked third among league leaders in both points (16) and goals (7), headlines eight returning starters for the Great Danes.
- Five NCAA teams headline Albany's schedule. The Great Danes will play five of their first six games at home, including their season opener against Villanova on Aug. 28.
6. New Hampshire Wildcats
2014 record: 6-10-1, 2-5-0, DNQ (T7th)
- Marc Hubbard takes over as New Hampshire's head coach. He previously served as an assistant at UNH from 2003-07.
- The Wildcats ranked third in the conference with a 1.07 team goals-against average last season.
- UNH will play three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including Hartwick in its season opener on Aug. 28.
7. Binghamton Bearcats
2014 record: 5-14-1, 3-4-0, AE Semifinals (4th)
- Binghamton returns 14 players from a team that reached the America East semifinals for the first time since 2008 last season.
- First-team all-conference goalkeeper Robert Moewes was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
- The Bearcats open their season at the Ira & Bert Wolstein Classic on Aug. 28. against Wright State and will face of pair of NCAA participants this year.
8. Stony Brook Seawolves
2014 record: 4-13-2, 2-5-1, AE Quarterfinals, (T7th)
- A pair of second-team All-America East standouts, Martin Giordano and Alejandro Fritz, will lead the Seawolves in 2015.
- Stony Brook will face a pair of NCAA teams, Louisville and UMBC, and have nine home games in 2015. The Seawolves open against Central Conn. State at home on Aug. 28.