BOSTON – After reaching the NCAA Third Round for a second consecutive season, Vermont was selected first in the #AEMSOC Preseason Poll. The Catamounts also had a league-high six players recognized on the #AEMSOC Preseason All-Conference Team, which was released on Wednesday afternoon.
The Catamounts received five first place votes and 47 total points to take first in the poll. Reigning league champion Bryant and 2022 champion New Hampshire tied for second with 40 points apiece. The Bulldogs had two first place votes while New Hampshire had one. These three programs have combined to claim the last six conference titles. UMBC (32) placed fourth in the poll while NJIT (23) and UAlbany (20) rounded out the top six.
#AEMSOC finished 2023 as the sixth-best conference in the nation according to RPI, trailing just the Pac-12, ACC, Big Ten, Sun Belt and WCC. It was one of four conferences to have three teams finish in the top-25 of RPI (UNH – 13, UVM – 18, Bryant – 21). In the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll released on Tuesday, UNH was ranked ninth, UVM was 14th and Bryant was receiving votes.
Vermont’s six preseason All-Conference selections were the best of any program, with four of the six previously earning All-Region honors. Zach Barret and Yaniv Bazini were both First-Team All-Region selections a year ago. Bryant had a trio of honorees, all three of which were All-Regions honorees in 2023, while UMBC and two selections to round out the team.
Men’s Preseason Poll
| Pl. |
School |
Pts. (1st) |
| 1. |
Vermont |
47 (5) |
| T2. |
Bryant |
40 (2) |
| T2. |
New Hampshire |
40 (1) |
| 4. |
UMBC |
32 |
| 5. |
NJIT |
23 |
| 6. |
UAlbany |
20 |
| 7. |
Binghamton |
13 |
| 8. |
UMass Lowell |
9 |
Men’s Preseason All-Conference
F Yaniv Bazini (Vermont)
F Max Murray (Vermont)
F Marc Pitarch Bayot (Bryant)
M Jago Lott UMBC)
M Adrian Schulze Solano (Vermont)
M Sydney Wathuta (Vermont)
D Zach Barrett (Vermont)
D Lasse Kelp (UMBC)
D Nick Lockermann (Vermont)
D Kerman Sukia (Bryant)
GK Antreas Hadjigavriel (Bryant)
Need to Know:
- Vermont went 13-6-2 overall and 4-3 in league play last season but fell in the #AEMSOC Quarterfinals. However, Catamounts reached the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2023 and advanced to the Round of 16 for a second straight year. They are the first #AEMSOC program to reach the Round of 16 in consecutive years.
- Yaniv Bazini and Zach Barrett were both First-Team All-Region selections for UVM last year, while Nick Lockermann was a Third-Team All-Region pick and Max Murray earned All-Region honors in 2022.
- Bryant tied for second in the poll after claiming the 2023 #AEMSOC Championship and going 4-1-2 in league play. The Bulldogs earned the program’s first-ever nation ranking and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Yale in the opening round.
- Marc Pitarch Bayot, Kerman Sukia and Antreas Hadjigavriel were selected as Preseason All-Conference for Bryant after each earned All-Region honors last year.
- New Hampshire tied for second with Bryant in the preseason poll after earning the 2023 Regular Season Title by going 4-0-3. The Wildcats have lost just one #AEMSOC regular season contest (18-1-2) over the past four years and reached each of the last six #AEMSOC Championship games.
- UMBC has finished as a top-four seed in each of the last two years and went 3-1-3 in #AEMSOC action in 2023. The Retrievers had a pair of players named Preseason All-Conference in Lasse Kelp and Jago Lott.
- NJIT was selected fifth in the preseason poll after going 3-2-2- in league play last season and advancing to the #AEMSOC Semifinals. The Highlanders took down Vermont twice last season, including once on the road.
- #AEMSOC had five teams finish in the top 70 of RPI last season, led by New Hampshire at 13. Vermont (18), Bryant (21), NJIT (49) and UMBC (67) made up the top five.
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. In 2023 the league finished sixth in RPI among all conference and three teams were selected to the NCAA Tournament. Overall The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in four of the past eight seasons, with Vermont and New Hampshire reaching each of the past three years. Four different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014, highlighted by UMBC getting all the way to the College Cup in 2014.
This season three #AEMSOC programs were selected to the NCAA Tournament, the first time that feat has been accomplished in conference history. Bryant, New Hampshire and Vermont were nationally ranked throughout the year and all three were selected to the tournament. It marked the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Bryant, while Vermont earned its third straight bid and New Hampshire made its seventh consecutive appearance. UNH is one of four programs which has appeared in each of the past seven NCAA Tournaments, along with Georgetown, Indiana and Wake Forest.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -