SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the third consecutive year, UNCG has been picked to claim the 2023 regular season championship in voting of the leagues’ six head coaches. The defending regular season and tournament title winners along with their head coach, Chris Rich, will be vying for their eighth championship in program history and their third straight regular season crown.
The Spartans scored in the 83rd minute of the 2022 SoCon Championship match to claim a 2-1 victory over the defending tournament title holder, Mercer.
The coaches also selected a 11-member preseason all-conference team which was expanded to include 12 players due to a tie in voting.
ETSU picked up a conference-best four selections. UNCG followed with three, while Mercer and Furman placed two each on the preseason team. Wofford rounded out the team with one selection.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.
UNCG accumulated five first-place votes for a total of 25 points. Mercer and ETSU each collected 18 points to tie for second place with the Bears picking up the final first-place vote. Furman came in fourth with 14 points while Wofford was picked fifth with 10 points. VMI rounded out the poll with five points.
UNCG went 13-2-6 overall last season and 4-0-1 in conference play on their way to the regular season title. Off the back of their tournament championship, the Spartans outlasted Ohio State in penalty kicks (6-5) to move on in the NCAA Tournament. UNCG then faced 5th-ranked Stanford and won again in penalty kicks (3-1). The Spartans’ run ended in the Elite 8 after falling to No. 13 Indiana, 2-0, marking the first time the team had played in a quarterfinal match since 1987.
The Buccaneers’ four preseason all-conference selections - Kieran Richards, Tarik Pannholzer, Henrik Guenther and Cole Hunter - were all first-team all-conference selections in 2022. Richards netted 11 goals, two of which were game-winning, and amassed twenty-five points overall last season. Pannholzer scored five goals, including three game-winning goals, and contributed 13 points throughout the 2022 season. Guenther started 16 games as a defender for the Buccaneers. Hunter started 14 games as a goalkeeper in 2022, saving 35 shots, averaging 0.79 goals against average and boasting a save percentage of 0.761 with 7 shutouts.
UNCG followed with three all-conference selections, Basile Marc, Emmanuel Hagan, and Ethan Conley. Marc started 20 games for the Spartans and netted two penalty kicks while accumulating seven points during the 2022 season. Hagan started 20 games as a defender and contributed two goals, including a game winner, while Conley started 17 games and scored a game-winning goal.
Midfielder Dylan Gaither and Defender Sekou Agard from 2022 SoCon Tournament finalist Mercer made the preseason team. Gaither scored six goals for the Bears on his way to contributing 22 points on the season, including a game-winning goal. Agard finished the season with five points, including a game-winning goal in the conference tournament versus VMI on Nov. 4.
Furman forward Jake Raine was selected despite only playing seven games last season due to injury. He made five goals to contribute 11 points in his time on the field. Midfielder Dylan Lane also made the team starting in all 16 games and contributing seven points on one goal and five assists.
Wofford forward Nikolai Rojel rounds out the preseason all-conference team. Rojel started 14 games for the Terriers a season ago, scoring nine goals, including two game winners, on his way to contributing 20 points.
The 2023 regular season begins on Thursday, Aug. 24, as VMI, Mercer, ETSU, Wofford, and UNCG are all in action. Furman begins its season the following day.
The SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship will feature all six schools. The first round will feature two matchups, No. 5 vs. No. 4 and No. 3 vs. No. 6, at the home fields of the No. 1 and 2 seeds on Nov. 3. The semifinals will be played on Nov. 5, followed by the championship match on Nov. 12.
2022 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. UNCG (5) 25
2. Mercer (1) 18
ETSU 18
4. Furman 14
5. Wofford 10
6. VMI 5
() denotes first-place votes
2023 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
F Kieran Richards, ETSU
F Nikolai Rojel, Wofford
F Tarik Pannholzer, ETSU
F Jake Raine, Furman
MF Dylan Gaither, Mercer
MF Basile Marc, UNCG
MF Dylan Lane, Furman
D Emmanuel Hagan, UNCG
D Ethan Conley, UNCG
D Sekou Agard, Mercer
D Henrik Guenther, ETSU
GK Cole Hunter, ETSU