Men's Soccer selected third in MASCAC preseason poll

Westfield, Mass.—The MCLA Men's Soccer program was selected to finish third in the MASCAC preseason poll that was released this afternoon via the conference office.  The Trailblazers return a host of starters that finished last season with a mark of 5-9-3 overall and were 3-4 in the conference.  MCLA opens their season a week from Thursday when they travel to nationally ranked Montclair State.

For the second straight season, the Bridgewater State Bears have been picked to win the 2016 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer championship as decided by the eight coaches from around the league.

The 2015 MASCAC tournament champions claimed four of the first place votes for 44 points. The Bears look to Felipe Gomes to lead the team after finishing in the top five in the MASCAC in goals (8), assists (6), points (22) and shots (66). All-Conference honoree Colin Jepson also returns in goals after leading the league in goals against average (0.84), second in save percentage (.826) and fourth in saves (90).

Framingham State is next in second with 39 points and two first place votes. The Rams closed out the 2015 season with a trip to the MASCAC Tournament title game and a 4-3 record in league play. Leading the conference in saves last season with 152, Josh Arno is back in goal for Framingham State. He also was fourth in the MASCAC with a .809 save percentage and fifth with a 1.80 goals against average.

Tied for third with 31 points with one of the first place votes each are MCLA and Westfield State. The Trailblazers tallied three wins during conference play in the 2015 season. Anthony Basile returns for MCLA after netting 10 goals and an assist with 21 points. Basile's 10 goals was tied for the third most in conference last season. The Owls ended the league schedule with a 5-2 record. Brodie Keene led the Owls with seven goals and two assists last season for 16 points. Alex Kraver was solid between the pipes for Westfield State with the third best save percentage (.824) and goals against average (1.52) with the fifth most saves (84).

Massachusetts Maritime and Worcester State claim the fifth and sixth spots with 30 and 26 points, respectively. The Buccaneers finished the league regular season with three wins. Back for Massachusetts Maritime is two-time All-Conference honoree Michael Rouette on defense. He tallied two goals and three assists last year while also helping the Buccaneers net two shutout victories on the season. For the Lancers, the squad had three wins in MASCAC play last season. The reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Year Bryan Brasil returns after tallying third most goals (10) and points (25) while also having the fifth most shots (58) in the league.

Closing out the 2016 poll are Fitchburg State and Salem State in seventh and eighth with 15 points and 8 points, respectively. The Falcons had two wins last season while the Vikings finished with one. Jared Burns led Fitchburg State last season with seven goals and three assists for 17 points. For Salem State, Kevin Gallo had the most goals during the season with five.

The season begins for the MASCAC men's soccer squads with non-conference play the week of August 29.

2016 MASCAC Men's Soccer Pre-Season Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Bridgewater State (4) 44 points

2. Framingham State (2) 39 points

3. MCLA (1) 31 points

3. Westfield State (1) 31 points

5. Massachusetts Maritime 30 points

6. Worcester State 26 points

7. Fitchburg State 15 points

8. Salem State 8 points