PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.--With nine starters returning, including three first-team all-conference picks from a year ago, the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team will look to contend for the State University of New York Athletic Conference championship and an NCAA Division III tournament berth.
Plattsburgh was predicted to claim its fifth SUNYAC crown after receiving seven first-place votes among 97 points in the preseason coaches' poll, marking the seventh year in a row that the team has been tabbed No. 1 by a survey of the conference's 10 head coaches.
Click on the link for the SUNYAC men's soccer preseason poll news release:
http://www.sunyac.com/story/msoc2010preseason.html
Oneonta was picked to finish second with 84 points, followed by Geneseo (69), Brockport (68, 1), Fredonia (66, 1), Cortland (60, 1), Oswego (34), New Paltz (33), Buffalo State (27) and Potsdam (12).
The Cardinals are coming off a 13-3-6 season that included their seventh SUNYAC regular-season title after going 7-1-1 in the conference and ninth NCAA appearance.
Two-time All-America defender Bart Misiak, a senior, headlines the list of returnees and he anchors a stingy defense that led the SUNYAC in scoring defense (0.76), fewest shots allowed and shutouts (10).
In addition, Plattsburgh is in the "receiving votes" category in the NCAA Division III national rankings by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America--coming in 26th, if the poll was extrapolated beyond the Top 25.