Bulldogs Picked Seventh In Atlantic 10
2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Poll
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Butler, preparing for its first season in
the Atlantic 10 Conference, has been picked to finish in a tie for
seventh place in the league, according to the 2012 A-10 Preseason
Men’s Soccer Poll released by the league office on Thursday,
Aug. 2. The annual preseason poll was compiled by a vote of
the league’s 16 men’s soccer head coaches.
Charlotte, the 2011 College Cup runner-up, was tabbed as the
favorite in this fall’s league race, while two-time defending
conference champion Xavier earned the second place nod. New
member VCU was picked third, Saint Louis was slated fourth, Fordham
was picked fifth and George Washington was placed in the sixth
position.
Butler, coming off a tie for seventh place in the 2011 Horizon
League race, and La Salle shared the No. 7 spot to round out the
top half of the A-10 coaches’ poll. Duquesne was picked
to finish ninth, followed by Dayton, Temple, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Saint
Joseph’s.
Charlotte, ranked No. 2 in the final 2011 NSCAA Coaches’
Poll, returns nine starters from a year ago, when the 49ers made
their historic run to the College Cup final. Leading
Charlotte’s returnees is 2011 A-10 Rookie of the Year
Guiseppe Gentile, who finished the season with 10 goals and two
assists. Xavier, trying to become the first A-10 team to win
three consecutive men’s soccer crowns, returns its entire
starting lineup from a year ago. The Musketeers fell to West
Virginia, 2-1, in last year’s NCAA Championship.
Butler, entering its second season under head coach Paul Snape,
has nine starters returning from last year’s 7-8-3
squad. Included in that group is junior Austin Oldham (above
right), who led the team in scoring with 18 points last season, and
sophomore Zach Steinberger, who finished second in scoring with 13
points. Also back are goalkeepers Jon Dawson and Andy Holte,
who combined for a 1.50 goals against average. The Bulldogs
allowed just seven goals in their final eight 2011 matches.
The Bulldogs will play their first Atlantic 10 match on Oct. 5
when they visit Dayton. The first A-10 team to visit Butler
will be Richmond on Oct. 12. Other home A-10 matches for the
Bulldogs will be against VCU (Oct. 14), George Washington (Oct. 26)
and league-favorite Charlotte (Oct. 28).
The A-10 Men’s Soccer Championship, which has expanded to
eight teams for 2012, will be held Nov. 8-11 at Charlotte’s
Transamerica Field.
