Men's Soccer Southern Conference

Furman picked to win 2015 SoCon men?s soccer title

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending Southern Conference men’s soccer tournament champion Furman was picked to win the league in 2015 in voting among the six league head coaches, who also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team. Mercer, the defending regular-season champion, and Wofford had three selections each.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.

Furman, which received votes in the preseason NSCAA top 25, collected four first-place votes and 24 total points in the preseason SoCon poll, while Mercer was close behind with 20 points and one first-place vote. UNCG finished third in the poll with 16 points, followed by ETSU with 13 points and the remaining first-place vote. Wofford was fifth with 12 points, with VMI (five points) rounding out the poll.

The Paladins went 12-5-5 overall and 5-4-1 in league play last season and downed the top-seeded Bears 1-0 in the SoCon Championship title match. Furman was nationally ranked for four weeks in 2014, peaking at No. 19.

Defender Kevin Edelmann and goalkeeper Sven Lissek earned preseason all-conference distinction for Furman. Lissek, a two-time second-team All-SoCon selection, set a league record with 12 shutouts last year and just missed the record for goals-against average, with his 0.59 mark a mere 0.01 behind the existing mark. Edelmann was an integral part of that defensive success, as he started all 20 contests in which he appeared.

Mercer, which won the regular-season title in its debut SoCon debut in 2014, put forward Will Bagrou, midfielder Jordan Duru and defender Ian Antley on the preseason team. All three were All-SoCon selections last season, with Bagrou and Duru earning first-team nods and Bagrou being named the league freshman of the year after leading the SoCon with 29 points and 12 goals.

UNCG saw midfielder Lukas Zarges and defender Eric Gunnarsson land on the preseason squad. Zarges was a first-team All-SoCon pick last season despite appearing in just 12 games due to injury. Gunnarsson, an all-freshman selection in 2014, started 19 of the Spartans’ 20 games and produced six points on two goals and two assists while playing in the defense and midfield.

ETSU is paced by reigning SoCon Player of the Year Joao Ramalho, who was second in the conference with 24 points and 11 goals, adding two assists.

Forward Matthew Aurednik headlines the Terriers’ three preseason selections, as the rising junior was a first-team All-SoCon pick last year and was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list this preseason. He posted 20 points on 10 goals last season.

Wofford midfielder Connor Davis also earned a preseason nod after first-team All-SoCon honors last year. Davis appeared on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list prior to the 2014 season. Defender Kevin Hady rounds out the preseason squad.

The 2015 regular season opens on Friday, Aug. 28, with all six league schools in action. Wofford hosts Gardner-Webb in the lone home contest, while four squads will face Power 5 opponents. In true road contests, ETSU will take on No. 11 Clemson, Mercer will face South Carolina, UNCG will play at Virginia Tech and VMI will face former Big South foe Longwood. Furman will take on NC State in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

The 2015 SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship will see the top two squads earn byes into the semifinals, while the Nos. 3-6 seeds will compete in quarterfinal contests at campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 7. The semifinals and final will take place at ETSU’s Summers-Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn., on Nov. 13 and 15, respectively.


2015 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Furman (4)   24
2. Mercer (1)    20
3. UNCG           16
4. ETSU (1)       13
5. Wofford       12
6. VMI               5

() denotes first-place votes

2015 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
F    Joao Ramalho, ETSU
F    Will Bagrou, Mercer
F    Matthew Aurednik, Wofford
M    Jordan Duru, Mercer
M    Lukas Zarges, UNCG
M    Connor Davis, Wofford
D    Kevin Edelmann, Furman
D    Ian Antley, Mercer
D    Eric Gunnarsson, UNCG
D    Kevin Hady, Wofford
GK  Sven Lissek, Furman

-www.SoConSports.com-