SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending Southern Conference men’s soccer regular-season champion UNCG was picked to win the league again in 2016 in voting among the six league head coaches, edging two-time defending SoCon tournament champion Furman in the preseason poll. The SoCon coaches also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team, with UNCG leading the way with four selections.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.
The Spartans collected 23 points in the poll, garnering three first-place votes. Furman was close behind with two-first place votes and 21 points, with ETSU and Mercer tying for third in the poll with 16 points each. Mercer claimed the remaining first-place vote. Wofford took fifth with nine points and VMI rounded out the poll with five.
UNCG went 11-5-5 overall and 6-1-3 in the league last season to win the regular-season title over Furman by just one point (8-5-6, 6-2-2 SoCon). The Spartans, who return eight starters from the squad that topped Virginia Tech and tied South Carolina last season, are well-represented on the preseason all-conference team, with forward Damieon Thomas, midfielder Leeroy Maguraushe, defender Nicholas Downs and keeper Jon Milligan earning spots on the squad.
Maguraushe, the 2015 SoCon Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection, is the Spartans’ leading returning scorer, as he posted 18 points on eight goals and two assists last season. Thomas, who had 17 points on six goals and five assists, and Downs, who started all 21 matches and helped UNCG post seven shutouts, were second-team All-SoCon picks in 2015. Milligan went 6-0-4 with four shutouts and a 0.64 goals against average after taking over as UNCG’s starter for the final 10 matches of the season.
Furman put midfielder Eli Pinner and defender Kyle McLagan on the preseason all-conference team. Pinner played in all 19 of the Paladins’ contests with 14 starts, recording three goals and two assists for eight points, second on the team. McLagan started 14 of the 15 matches in which he appeared, helping Furman post seven shutouts on the year. Seven-time SoCon Coach of the Year Doug Allison also brings in the No. 30 recruiting class nationally, as ranked by Top Drawer Soccer.
ETSU had a pair of forwards make the preseason All-SoCon squad, as Fletcher Ekern, who led the league with 10 goals in 2015, and Joao Ramalho, the 2014 SoCon Player of the Year, took the distinction. Ekern was a first-team all-conference selection last year.
Forward Will Bagrou, midfielder Jordan Duru and defender Ian Antley represented Mercer on the preseason all-conference team after each took first-team All-SoCon honors in 2015. Duru was third in the SoCon in points last year with 21 on a balanced seven goals and seven assists. Bagrou, the 2014 SoCon Freshman of the Year, was eighth in the league with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Antley was one of just two Bears to start all 20 matches and helped Mercer to a league-best eight shutouts.
The 2016 regular season opens on Friday, Aug. 26, with all six league schools in action. VMI hosts Longwood and Mercer hosts Georgia State in the only two home matches.
The 2016 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. 5. The semifinals and final will take place at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 10 and 12, respectively.
2016 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. UNCG (3) 23
2. Furman (2) 21
T3. ETSU 16
T3. Mercer (1) 16
5. Wofford 9
6. VMI 5
() denotes first-place votes
2016 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
F Will Bagrou, Mercer
F Fletcher Ekern, ETSU
F Joao Ramalho, ETSU
F Damieon Thomas, UNCG
MF Leeroy Maguraushe, UNCG
MF Jordan Duru, Mercer
MF Eli Pinner, Furman
D Ian Antley, Mercer
D Nicholas Downs, UNCG
D Kyle McLagan, Furman
GK Jon Milligan, UNCG
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