SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending Southern Conference men’s soccer regular-season champion ETSU was picked to win the league again in 2017 in voting among the six league head coaches in the preseason poll. The Bucs edged out a Mercer squad that topped ETSU in the 2016 SoCon Championship. ETSU also dominated the preseason all-conference honors, with five players claiming spots on the 11-member team.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.
The Bucs totaled 24 points, receiving four first-place votes, to claim the top spot, while Mercer received two first-place votes, placing second with 22 total points. UNCG collected 15 points to claim third, followed by Furman, which received 13 points overall. Wofford (11 points) and VMI (five) rounded out the poll in positions five and six.
ETSU, which went 12-5-3 overall and 7-1-2 in the SoCon in 2016, returns six seniors, including Cameron Woodfin and Fletcher Ekern. Woodfin led the NCAA in assists, setting up his teammates 12 times while adding five goals. Ekern was a constant threat up front, scoring a team-high nine goals to go with two assists. The Bucs fell to Mercer on penalty kicks (4-1) in the 2016 SoCon Championships but earned an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, falling to Virginia Tech 1-0 in the first round.
Despite the Bucs losing three all-conference players, Woodfin and Ekern are joined on the preseason all-conference team by Serge Gomis (MF), Joe Pickering (D) and Jonny Sutherland (GK). Gomis and Sutherland were named first-team All-SoCon in 2016, while Pickering was named to the All-Socon second and all-freshman teams. Gomis and Pickering each contributed three goals, while Sutherland posted an 11-5-3 record, ranking first in the league in goals against average, shutouts and save percentage.
Mercer posted a 13-7-1 (7-3-0 SoCon) record in 2016, winning the SoCon tournament title and propelling the team to its first NCAA appearance in 15 years. The Bears feature three players on the preseason all-conference team, including reigning SoCon Male Athlete and Player of the Year Will Bagrou. Bagrou, who was recently named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Award Watch List, led Mercer with eight goals, including two game-winners. Bagrou enters 2017 as the SoCon’s active leader in career points (63) and game-winning goals (nine).
Mercer’s Conner Antley (D) and Kobe Perez (MF) were also named to the all-conference team, each appearing in all 21 games in 2016. Antley served as a defensive stalwart for the Bears, starting every game and earning first-team All-SoCon honors after scoring four goals to go with five assists. Perez, who enters his junior season, scored three goals as a sophomore, including two against Wofford in the conference semifinal.
UNCG returns eight starters and 18 players, including midfielder Leeroy Maguraushe. Maguraushe, who claimed a spot on the preseason team, was named first-team All-SoCon after scoring a goal and leading the Spartans with six assists. UNCG posted a 6-4-0 conference record, going 11-7-2 overall and leading the league in scoring before falling to ETSU in the SoCon semifinals.
Furman defender Kyle McLagan made the preseason all-conference team for the second straight year. McLagan, who was named first-team All-SoCon, appeared in 17 games as a junior, serving as an anchor for the Paladin defense. Junior midfielder Josiah Baker was also named to the all-conference squad, finishing second on the team in points (nine) while leading Furman in assists (three).
The 2017 regular season opens on Friday, Aug. 25, with all six league schools in action. Wofford has the only home game in the conference that day, hosting Radford at 7 p.m.
The 2017 SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship will see the top two squads earn byes into the semifinals, with seeds 3-6 competing in quarterfinal contests at campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 4. The semifinals and final will take place at the Furman Soccer Stadium in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 10 and 12, respectively.
2017 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
- ETSU (4) 24
- Mercer (2) 22
- UNCG 15
- Furman 13
- Wofford 11
- VMI 5
() denotes first-place votes
2017 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
F Will Bagrou, Mercer
F Fletcher Ekern, ETSU
F Cameron Woodfin, ETSU
MF Leeroy Maguraushe, UNCG
MF Serge Gomis, ETSU
MF Josiah Baker, Furman
MF Kobe Perez, Mercer
D Conner Antley, Mercer
D Kyle McLagan, Furman
D Joe Pickering, ETSU
GK Jonny Sutherland, ETSU
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