Fresh off consecutive NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship appearances, including a trip to the 2006 national semifinals, New York University was selected to tie for third in the University Athletic Association preseason poll released Tuesday.
NYU (13-5-1, 4-3-0 UAA in 2007) was selected to tie for third with 2007 Association champion the University of Rochester (15-3-2, 6-0-1), as both teams received 31 points. Emory University (16-3-0, 6-1-0) was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by Washington University (16-5-0, 4-1-2).
Under the leadership of 13th-year head coach
Joe Behan (114-94-19), the Violets return seven starters from last fall, when they finished fourth in the UAA and reached the NCAA's before getting bowing in the first round to Hamilton College.
Seniors
Devin Freeman-Roche (0-2-2) and
Branden Neal (6-7-19), both Second Team All-UAA honorees in 2007, will serve as NYU's co-captains. Freeman-Roche is the lone returning defensive starter, and will anchor the backline in front of junior goalkeeper
Marek Urbanski (4-0-0, 0.94 GAA).
Meanwhile, Neal and fellow senior forward
Adam Dhanens (7-6-20), a two-time Honorable Mention All-UAA pick, will again provide the Violets with a pair of potent offensive options. In the midfield, senior
Robert Keller (4-1-9), junior
Christopher Wolf (2-0-4), and sophomores
Samir Ibrahim (0-2-2) and
Anthony Tumbiolo (1-8-10) will also be counted upon to create scoring opportunities.
NYU opens its season Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. when it hosts Metropolitan Region rival Kean University at New Jersey Institute of Technology's Lubetkin Field.
This season, the Violets will play five teams ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division III Preseason Poll: #6 Washington University (Oct. 17 in St. Louis), #10 Rochester (Oct. 11 home at Manhattan College), #13 Emory (Nov. 2 home at College of Staten Island), #17 Stevens Institute of Technology (Sept. 24 home at Manhattan College), and #22 Case Western Reserve University (Oct. 4 in Cleveland).
UAA PRESEASON POLL
1. Emory (5) 47 6-1-0 (16-3-0)
2. Washington (2) 43 4-1-2 (16-5-0)
3. Rochester (1) 31 6-0-1 (15-3-2)
4. NYU 31 4-3-0 (13-5-1)
5. Case 26 3-4-0 (12-5-1)
6. Chicago 23 1-4-2 (6-9-2)
7. Carnegie Mellon 16 0-5-2 (9-6-2)
8. Brandeis 9 0-6-1 (8-9-3)
First-place votes in parentheses after team name