SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Furman Paladins were named the 2008 Southern Conference preseason men’s soccer favorite according to a poll of the league’s eight head coaches. The conference head coaches also selected an eleven-member preseason team, released Wednesday (Aug. 27) by the league office.
Furman, which finished 2007 with a record of 19-4 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, captured six of the eight first-place votes and finished with 47 total points. UNC Greensboro picked up one first-place vote and 40 points to finish second in the preseason balloting. The Spartans finished 2007 with a record of 11-8-2 and posted a 4-3 mark in league play. College of Charleston came in third with 38 points and one first-place vote. The Cougars finished second in the SoCon last season with a 6-1 record in league play.
Elon garnered 34 points to rank fourth in the preseason poll. The Phoenix were the fourth SoCon team to finish 2007 with a winning record (8-7-4) and tied UNC Greensboro for third place with a 4-3 mark in conference play. Appalachian State tallied 23 points to earn fifth place in the poll. The Mountaineers welcome new head coach, Shaun Pendleton, as well as 16 newcomers.
Georgia Southern edged out Davidson for sixth place with 16 points. The Eagles return 17 letterwinners and nine starters for 2008. Davidson will also return an experienced team, as the Wildcats boast 19 returning letterwinners and seven starters. Wofford closed out the poll with 11 points. New head coach Ralph Polson takes over the Terriers’ program after spending the past eight seasons as associate head coach at College of Charleston.
Eight of the 11 players named to the preseason All-Southern Conference Team earned postseason honors in 2007. Jokull Elisabetarson (UNC Greensboro), Steven Kinney (Elon), Patrick Murray (Furman), Justin Wyatt (Elon) and Kareem Yearwood (College of Charleston) were all First Team All-SoCon a season ago. Yearwood tied for the league lead in points (29) and goals (13) in 2007, while Murray led the conference in assists (13).
Justin Fojo (College of Charleston), Clint Irwin (Elon) and Wes Knight (College of Charleston) all garnered second team plaudits in 2007. Jon Cox (Georgia Southern), Nirav Kadam (UNC Greensboro) and Paul Pessina (Appalachian State) were also named to the Preseason All-Southern Conference Team for 2008.
The 2008 season begins on Friday (Aug. 29) when seven SoCon teams take the pitch. The first SoCon match of the season takes place Wednesday, Sept. 17 when Wofford visits Elon. The 2008 Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Championship will begin with first-round action on Nov. 8 at campus sites. The semifinals and championship match will take place Nov. 14 and 16 at Alumni Stadium in Davidson, N.C.
2008 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Furman (6) 47
2. UNC Greensboro (1) 40
3. College of Charleston (1) 38
4. Elon 34
5. Appalachian State 23
6. Georgia Southern 16
7. Davidson 15
8. Wofford 11
2008 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
F Kareem Yearwood, College of Charleston
F Justin Wyatt, Elon
F Nirav Kadam, UNC Greensboro
F Jon Cox, Georgia Southern
MF Patrick Murray, Furman
MF Jokull Elisabetarson, UNC Greensboro
MF Justin Fojo, College of Charleston
D Wes Knight, College of Charleston
D Steven Kinney, Elon
D Paul Pessina, Appalachian State
GK Clint Irwin, Elon