Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Soccer Voted Fifth In The 2012 SAC Coaches Preseason Poll
August 14, 2012
L-R opens the season on Thursday, August 30, at home against King beginning at 7:30 p.m.
 The Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Soccer Team was picked to finish fifth in the league race by the head coaches out of 10 teams in the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Preseason Poll. |
Rock Hill, S.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne University Men's Soccer Team was voted fifth in the 2012 South Atlantic Conference Coaches Preseason Poll, league officials announced this morning.
Tusculum, which received two first-place votes in the poll, was picked to win the regular season championship.
The Pioneers placed four players on the all-league preseason teams while Mars Hill was picked to finish second after receiving four first-place votes.
The Lions are ranked No. 17 in the NSCAA NCAA Division II National Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Lenoir-Rhyne is coming off a 9-9-3 campaign in 2011 including a 3-4-2 mark in conference play, good for a sixth-place tie.
However, the Bears did rally in last year's Food Lion SAC Tournament and advanced to the championship match against top-seeded Anderson before falling by a 1-0 score in overtime.
Several returnees for Lenoir-Rhyne this fall include junior goalkeeper Stefan Dill (Southampton, BERMUDA) and senior defender Chris Johnson (Liverpool, ENGLAND).
Dill finished with a 1.18 goals-against average, four shutouts and 83 total saves while Johnson led the squad with seven assists during the 2011 season.
Lenoir-Rhyne opens the 2012 season on Thursday, August 30, against King at home beginning at 7:30 p.m., at the Moretz Sports - Athletic Complex.
2012 South Atlantic Conference
Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Tusculum (2) 69
2. Mars Hill (4) 68
3. Anderson (3) 67
4. Lincoln Memorial (1) 62
5. Lenoir-Rhyne 44
6. Carson-Newman 40
7t. Catawba 37
7t. Wingate 37
9. Newberry 16
10. Brevard 10
() indicates first-place votes
2012 All-South Atlantic Conference
Men's Soccer Preseason Teams
FIRST TEAM
Forward
Mario Pinto, Lincoln Memorial
Stephen Bivens, Mars Hill
Felipe Ferraro, Mars Hill
Carson Smith, Catawba
Midfielder
Shu Ogawa, Anderson
Chris Nash, Lincoln Memorial
Corey Faughnan, Catawba
Alex Mullen, Mars Hill
Defender
Callum Home, Lincoln Memorial
Matias Rubio, Tusculum
Domhnall Minogue, Catawba
Fredrik Muren, Tusculum
Goalkeeper*
Lukas Hesse, Anderson
Zac Scott, Mars Hill
* Two-way tie for first-team goalkeeper; no second team distinction.
SECOND TEAM
Forward
Leonardo Germiniani, Lincoln Memorial
Tapiwa Munetsi, Anderson
Emmanuel Aboaye, Carson-Newman
Kofi Kufuor, Newberry
Midfielder
Roberto Pimentel, Tusculum
Stephen McNeill, Tusculum
Taylor Jolley, Carson-Newman
Adrian Ochoa, Newberry
Defender
Evan Preston-Kelly, Carson-Newman
Zak Moss, Anderson
Greg Munn, Mars Hill
Cody Langley, Mars Hill
