St. Lawrence were selected the preseason favorites in the 2015 Liberty League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll after winning back-to-back league titles over the last two years.
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St. Lawrence University men’s soccer team returns to the field in 2015 to defend back-to-back Liberty League titles after compiling a 17-2-2 overall record and an unbeaten conference slate (7-0-1) last year. Due to their recent success, the Saints have been unanimously selected first in the 2015 Liberty League preseason poll in a vote conducted by the league’s head coaches.
St. Lawrence led the poll with 64 points and eight first-place votes (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) came in second with 50 points and Vassar College rounded out the top three by narrowly edging out Hobart College (48 to 47). The Statesmen also received a first place vote in the poll. Skidmore College took fifth with 35 points followed by Union College (34), Clarkson University (20), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT, 17) and Bard College (9).
The Saints will open 2015 with new head coach Mike Toshack, a former St. Lawrence assistant (1994-2003), at the helm as previous head coach Bob Durocher has taken over as St. Lawrence’s Director of Athletics. The team will be led by a trio of senior captains and All-Liberty League first-team selections—midfielder Rob Brandell, defender Dan Hunt and defender Harry Copeland. Four of the team’s five top scorers return as Brandell and Copeland led the team in scoring combining for 16 goals, 6 assists and 38 points. The duo tied for the league lead in goals scored last season with eight apiece. Chandler Short (4 G, 3 A) also returns for his sophomore campaign to assist in the offensive attack.
Copeland and Hunt will anchor a St. Lawrence defensive unit that allowed only 17 goals and a .774 goals against average a year ago. They will be joined in the backfield by senior goalkeeper Ryan Roethel as well as senior defenders Christian Yarros and Praveen Balakumaran.
RPI will have some holes to fill this season with the graduation of Liberty League Player of the Year midfielder Matt Koziol and Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year goalkeeper Rob Dewald. The Engineers finished 2014 with a 12-4-3 record (4-1-1 Liberty League) and an appearance in the league championship match for the second time in three years. Seniors Nate Gunderson (4 G, 3 A), Esmir Hadzic (3 G, 3 A) and Matt Carberry (3 G), all return as three of the Engineers’ top forwards. Seniors Brett Pyser and Paul Lentine are key returnees to the defense that allowed a league-low 10 goals in 2014. Junior goalkeeper Alex Kessler also returns after starting two games between the pipes for RPI last season. In the 343:13 and six games total that Kessler played in last season, he did not allow a goal and made 12 saves.
Vassar closed out 2014 with a winning record (11-6-2) for the sixth consecutive season and a fourth straight Liberty League semifinals appearance. The Brewers enjoyed success at home on Gordon Field, going 9-2 on the year. Vassar loses one of its top defenders in Zach Nasipak, who started in every game last season. Nasipak and junior goalkeeper Adam Warner helped the Brewers produce a league-high seven shutouts. A total of nine starters return for Vassar including all five top scorers from a year ago including seniors Gavin Jennings and Jordan Palmer who were among league leaders in assists per game (.529) and shots per game (2.74), respectively. Jennings led the team in scoring with one goal and nine assists for 11 points and Palmer was second with three goals and four assists.
Hobart recently returned from a team trip to Europe, where the Statesmen played in Germany, Holland and Belgium against European youth club teams. Hobart earned a spot in the Liberty League tournament for the first time since 2011 after a 12-4-3 regular season (4-2-2 Liberty League) last year. Senior goalkeeper Tyler Serafine is a key defensive returnee for the Statesmen after posting four shutouts against league opponents and registering a 0.77 goals against average and a .881 save percentage in 2014. Senior Kyle Herod will join Serafine at the backline but is also a threat on the other side of the field as one of the team’s leading scorers last season, tallying nine points on four goals and an assist. Senior Jacob Fox will also be a strong presence on offense as he tied for most goals (5) and was second in points (13).
Skidmore welcomes back eight starters to the field after finishing fifth in the Liberty League standings last season with a 9-6-3 overall record. The Thoroughbreds will have a strong veteran presence with a senior class of ten leading this year’s team including forward Tim Sullivan and goalkeeper Eli Kisselbach. Kisselbah started 16 games last season for Skidmore while posting a .778 save percentage and a 1.23 goals against average. Sullivan (3 G, 2 A) and junior Augustine Okoye (6 G, 3 A) will be key players on the offense as the 2014 Skidmore squad ranked third in the league in goals per game (1.78) and points per game (4.72).
Union finished the 2014 campaign at 9-9-1 and the Dutchmen open the season with the graduation of five student-athletes. However, Union does return with a roster full of experienced players, including 2014 Liberty League Rookie of the Year Ethan Strauss. Strauss started 18 of 19 games last season and was tops on the team in assists with four. He was also ranked second behind senior Carl Faber in goals (5) and points (14). Faber was among the top-ten in the league in goals (2nd, 7 G), goals per game (5th, .368), points (6th, 15) and points per game (9th, .79). The Dutchmen also welcome back senior defender Sam Hunter (1 G, 2 A) and junior midfielder Andrew Fontaine (4 G, 3 A).
Clarkson is coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history with a 7-10-1 finish and 2-6-0 record in league play under the tutelage of first-year head coach Chris Taylor. Taylor and his staff (the 2014 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year), welcome nine incoming freshman to Potsdam this fall to complement the Golden Knights’ returning players highlighted by junior forward Tucker Wilcox, senior forward Zak Godin and junior midfielder Leetz. Wilcox and Leetz were among the leading scorers for Clarkson last year, combining for four goals and four assists for 12 points.
RIT will be a young team to start the 2015 season with 15 incoming freshman but the Tigers boast a seasoned offense with the return of senior Geno Rocco (4 G, 1 A), sophomore Dean Kouroupas (3 G, 3 A), senior Rueben Marquez (2 G, 4 A) and sophomore Mike Reverdatto (6 A). Reverdatto and Marquez were among league leaders in assists last season. Junior Scott Fishel will spearhead the RIT defense along with sophomore Dan Tomaszewski.
Bard had one of its best seasons in program history last season as the Raptors posted their first-ever win over a Liberty League opponent since joining the league in 2011. Bard finished the 2014 season with a 5-12 overall record. The core group of last year’s team returns with the graduation of only two seniors. All-Liberty League honorable mention selection, junior Austin Higgins is back after starting all 17 games in 2014 and leading the team in goals with six. He also registered two assists and totaled 14 points on the year. The Raptors also welcome back defenders junior Tamaki Chiba and sophomore Nick Shenberger.
2015 Liberty League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
1. St. Lawrence, 64 (8)
2. RPI, 50
3. Vassar, 48
4. Hobart, 47 (1)
5. Skidmore, 35
6. Union, 34
7. Clarkson, 20
8. RIT, 17
9. Bard, 9
(First-place votes are in parentheses)