Ashland Selected As Preseason Favorite in 2010 GLIAC Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll

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BAY CITY, Mich. -- The head men’s soccer coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose Ashland University, the defending league champion, to win the 2010 GLIAC men’s soccer title in preseason balloting.

    The league's head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their team.  The first-place team on each ballot received six points, while second received five points, etc.

    The Eagles earned a total of 34 points and four first-place votes, narrowly edging out 2009 GLIAC Tournament champion Tiffin University, which tallied three first-place votes and 32 points.  Ashland, after finishing first in 2009 GLIAC regular-season play, fell to the second-seeded Dragons in the GLIAC Tournament final.

    Ohio Dominican University, entering its first year as a member of the GLIAC, finished third in the poll with 22 points, just one point ahead of Northwood University.

    Northwood University finished fourth in the voting with 21 points.  The Timberwolves ended the 2009 campaign with a 3-3-2 league record and a #3 seed in the conference tournament.

    Saginaw Valley State University and the University of Findlay tied for fifth place, each tallying 12 points.  The Oilers and Cardinals finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in 2009 league play.  

    Tiffin claimed its second-straight GLIAC’s men’s soccer postseason tournament title in 2009.  The second-seeded Dragons defeated Northwood, 2-0, in the first Tournament semifinal.  The No. 1 seed Ashland downed Findlay, 2-0, in the other semifinal match.  Tiffin then posted a 3-2 victory over Ashland in the Tournament championship match.

    GLIAC men’s soccer teams open play on Thursday, Sept. 2 with conference play beginning Wednesday, Sept. 8.  The 2010 Men’s Soccer Tournament semifinals will be held on Thursday, Nov. 4, while the Tournament final will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6. All three matches are to be held on the campus of the No. 1 seed.

-- The following are previews of all seven GLIAC Men's Soccer teams for the 2010 season --

Ashland University
Head Coach:  Jon Freeman
(First season)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  1st
 

OVERVIEW: The Ashland men’s soccer program, which is coming off two straight NCAA playoff appearances, is under new leadership with Jon Freeman at the Helm. Freeman spent the previous season as the head coach at Ferrum College in Virginia, but was the assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach at AU from 2004-09.

    Ashland’s run in the NCAA postseason ended with a crushing 2-1 overtime loss to Lewis in the first round in Springfield, Mo. The Eagles return some of the top players from last year’s unit that finished 12-4-5 overall and was the runner-up in the GLIAC playoffs. A trio of English imports makes up the AU midfield, including James Livingston, who was a GLIAC first teamer a season ago with six goals and five assists. Countrymen Kenny Hewitt and Tom Rankin  join Livingston on the middle line.  Last season’s GLIAC “Freshman of the Year” Mitch Deyhle  returns off a stellar rookie season to stabilize the AU defense and distribution.

University of Findlay
Head Coach:  Andy Smyth
(20th season, 170-177-30)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  Tied for 5th 

OVERVIEW: The University of Findlay men’s soccer team is coming off of an 8-10-1 record last season and finished the year with a 2-5 record in GLIAC play.  The Oilers, who are under the guidance of head coach Andy Smyth who is in his 21st year (170-177-30), will be led by junior forward Corey Keister.

    Keister, a second team all-conference pick last season, returns after scoring a team-high seven goals in 2009.  He also added a pair of assists and led Findlay with 16 total points..

Lake Erie Storm
Head Coach:  Jim Buchan
(Third season, 11-26-2)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  7th

OVERVIEW:  Lake Erie looks to improve on its 7-11-2 mark from a season ago as 10 players and five starters return to help the Storm in its inaugural GLIAC season.  Led by third -year head coach Jim Buchan, Lake Erie got a strong taste of GLIAC play last season going 2-3 against conference foes, with road wins at Northwood and Saginaw Valley.

    The Storm returns their top offensive force from a season ago, senior forward Scott Stuckey.  Stuckey, an All-Ohio selection in 2009, led the squad with 13 goals and tied for the team-high with four assists.  Sophomore midfielder/forward Rob Searles tied Stuckey with four assists and found the back of the net once.   Senior Justin Mihaley  and sophomore Patrick Murphy both will look to anchor the midfield after scoring three and two goals, respectively, last season.  Sophomore Ricky Carreira is expected to start in goal for the Storm after making 10 appearances with seven starts a year ago. 

Northwood University
Head Coach:  Doug Carter
(Tenth season, 64-75-13)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  4th

OVERVIEW: The Northwood men’s soccer team features a blend of veterans and newcomers for 10th year head coach Doug Carter, who has gone 64-75-13 at Northwood.  The Timberwolves feature 16 new players to go along with 14 veterans who played a year ago. 

    NU will count on Keith Lough, who was the GLIAC Freshman of the Year in 2008.  Other key returning players include keeper Matt Renouf, who posted a 1.48 goals against average and a .765 save percentage.  Mike Carroll Shaun Rydzewski, Mitchell Brent and Kevin Davis are all expected to play key roles as well for the Timberwolves.  NU will have to find new offensive threats, as the Timberwolves lost 54.5 percent of its goal scoring from a year ago.

Ohio Dominican University
Head Coach:  Willy Merrick
(Third season, 17-13-5)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  3rd

OVERVIEW:  Competing at the NCAA D-II level in the GLIAC for the first time, the stakes could not be higher for the Ohio Dominican men’s soccer team and third-year head coach Willy Merrick in 2010. Merrick led the Panthers to a 7-7-3 mark in 2009 and a semifinals appearance in the A.I.I. tournament. ODU returns 18 letterwinners, including seven starters and three all-conference picks from last season.

    Senior defenders and First Team All-A.I.I. selections AJ Mueller and Liam Fitzgerald lead a returning stingy Panther defense that surrendered just 17 goals in 2009. Mueller tied for the team lead in goals (3) and finished second in assists (3) and points (9). Another First Team All-A.I.I. selection, Justin Wheeler, led ODU in points (11) and assists (7) from the midfielder position. Also returning for the Panthers is senior goalkeeper Tyler Gleason. Gleason posted an .828 saves percentage, allowing 17 goals in 1531 minutes of action.

Saginaw Valley State University
Head Coach:  Cale Wassermann
(First season)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  Tied for 5th

OVERVIEW:  First Year Head Coach Cale Wassermann returns to his alma mater as the program’s first full-time Head Men’s Soccer Coach.  He inherits the task of directing a team with a lot of youth and a slight shot of experience while getting the program on the right track.

    The Cards return Piotr Kamzmierczak for his final season in net, as he racked-up 1,208 minutes in the 2009 season.  SVSU also will rely on the strong play of forward Anthony Palazzolo, who had four goals and a pair of assists last fall to lead all returners with 10 points.

Tiffin University
Head Coach:  Rudy Brownell
(Fourth season, 38-16-2)
2010 Preseason Coaches' Poll Rank:  2nd

OVERVIEW:  Tiffin looks to defend its two consecutive GLIAC Tournament Championships during the 2010 season under head coach Rudy Brownell. Brownell, who has never had a losing season as a coach of either the men’s or women’s programs at TU, returns 10 starters and 18 letterwinners from the 2009 season.    

    TU’s offense returns First Team All-American and GLIAC “Offensive Player of the Year” midfielder Rhys Cannella (15 goals, 6 assists, 36 points)along with First Team All-Region forward Ashton Campbell (11 goals, 6 assists, 28 points) and All-Region goalkeeper Jeff Frisch (0.87 GAA, 80 saves, 8 shutouts). Other returning starters include All-Conference honorees Michael O’Neill (First Team, 3 goals, 9 assists, 15 points) and defender Roger Kummer (2 goals, 2 assists, 6 assists). Nick Kutch (4 goals, 4 assists, 12 points) also returns to help the offense, which outscored its opponents last year 46-19.