Men's Soccer Looks to Improve Poll Standing

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Roger Williams University has been tabbed as the favorite to win the 2013 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's soccer championship after receiving five first place votes and a total of 91 points in the CCC preseason poll. Salve Regina University, the defending champion, earned second place with 89 points and three first place votes. Western New England University claimed third with 77 points and garnered the last two first place votes, while Endicott College was selected fourth after receiving 68 points to round out the top billing. Wentworth, which is looking to make a return to the post-season after missing last season, was picked to finish 10th.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head men's soccer coaches.

All four of the top teams in the 2013 poll competed in the postseason at either the NCAA Tournament or the ECAC Tournament in 2012. After the Seahawks captured their first CCC title since 2002, a 2-0 victory over Nichols College, their postseason continued with a NCAA first round game against Montclair State. The Red Hawks defeated Salve Regina in a hard-fought 2-1 game and eventually made it to the NCAA sectional final. Endicott, Roger Williams, and Western New England all competed in the postseason at the ECAC tournament. The Golden Bears were eliminated in the first round 1-0 by the Coast Guard Bears, while the Gulls were eliminated by the Bears in the semifinals, 2-1. The top-seeded Hawks worked their way through the tournament, but were eventually upset by Coast Guard in the championship, 4-2 on penalty kicks, as the game went into a shootout after 110 minutes of scoreless action.

Click HERE to view the 2013 CCC Men's Soccer composite schedule; to view the complete release including the full poll standings and previews please click HERE.

2013 CCC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

The 2013 CCC men's soccer campaign gets started this weekend with nine teams in action. The top eight teams in the regular-season conference standings will qualify for the conference tournament, which gets underway Saturday, November 2 with quarterfinal action. The winners of the quarterfinal matchups will move on to the semifinals on Tuesday, November 5. The two semifinal victors will battle for the CCC championship on Saturday, November 9.

(Release Courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference)