MACON, Ga. – The Mercer men’s soccer team received votes in College Soccer News’ 2020 preseason poll, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
College Soccer News’ 2020 preseason poll took into consideration all Division I teams whether or not they are playing in the fall. The preseason poll is based on a combination of factors including performance the past season, returning talent and experience, depth, existing gaps, the projected impact of recruiting classes, and intangibles like leadership and team chemistry.
Mercer tied its single-season program record with 14 wins in 2019 while capturing its third Southern Conference title in the last four years. It was the fifth time in six seasons the Bears produced double-digit wins since joining the SoCon. Mercer faced Charlotte in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In the contest, Joshua Harrison scored the first goal in the NCAA tournament in Bears history. It was the Bears’ fifth appearance in the NCAA tournament (1999, 2001, 2016, 2017 and 2019).
After winning the SoCon Championship, the Bears’ Trevor Martineau, Roberto Arteaga, JR DeRose and Leo Toledo Jr. were named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team with DeRose being named the tournament’s MVP. Martineau earned first-team All-SoCon honors for the second straight season after leading the conference in points (38), goals (14) and assists (10). He was the only player in the country with 10 or more goals and 10 or more assists at the Division I level in 2019. Toledo Jr. added second-team All-SoCon accolades, while Dylan Gaither was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS 2020 PRESEASON POLL
1. Georgetown
2. Stanford
3. Clemson
4. Wake Forest
5. SMU
6. Indiana
7. Virginia
8. UCF
9. Washington
10. Missouri State
11. UC Santa Barbara
12. Maryland
13. Michigan
14. Virginia Tech
15. Marshall
16. Seattle
17. St. John’s
18. Louisville
19. Campbell
20. Penn State
21. Kentucky
22. Charlotte
23. UC Davis
24. Boston College
25. Yale
26. NC State
27. North Carolina
28. Pittsburgh
29. California
30. Akron
Others Receiving Votes: Syracuse, Denver, St. Mary’s, Providence, Butler, James Madison, Duke, Notre Dame, New Hampshire, Loyola Chicago, UNCW, Rhode Island, Saint Louis, FIU, Loyola Marymount,
Mercer, West Virginia, Lehigh, Coastal Carolina, Iona