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2015 Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll             1. St. Francis Brooklyn (5)             2. Saint Francis U (3)             3. Bryant             4. Fairleigh Dickinson             5. Central Connecticut             6. Robert Morris             7. LIU Brooklyn             8. Sacred Heart             First place votes in parentheses

Somerset, NJ -- St. Francis Brooklyn men’s soccer will be looking to win its third straight Northeast Conference title this year after being voted as the NEC preseason favorite by the league’s head coaches.  The Terriers, who rank second in conference annals with six NEC Tournament titles, received five first place votes in the annual poll.

Saint Francis U was picked second by the coaches. The Red Flash, who received the three remaining first place votes, won the NEC regular season championship for the first time in program history in 2014 and made an appearance in the NEC title game for the second time in the last three years.

Bryant, a participant in last year’s NEC semifinals, and Fairleigh Dickinson were picked third and fourth, respectively.

Central Connecticut was tabbed fifth, followed by Robert Morris, LIU Brooklyn and Sacred Heart to round out the eight-team poll.

All teams will kick off their season on Friday, August 28th. Defending champion St. Francis Brooklyn begins its season with a match at UConn in Storrs, CT. NEC play commences on Friday, October 9th.

The 2015 NEC Championship will take place November 13 and 15 at the campus of the top seeded team. The top four finishers, based on Conference winning percentage, will compete in a two-day, single-elimination tournament.

A trio of key players return for St. Francis Brooklyn and ninth year head coach Tom Giovatto, most notably redshirt senior goalkeeper and All-NEC first team member, Jack Binks (Darlington, England/Siena College). Binks led the NEC in save percentage (.811) and tied for first in shutouts with 10 last season. Also returning for the Terriers is senior midfielder Vincent Bezecourt (Aire sur I’Adour, France/Lycee Fernand Daguin), who finished tied for second in the NEC with six assists during the 2014 campaign and was tabbed as an All-NEC second team member.  Second team All-NEC forward John Makaya (Montpellier, France/University of Montpelier (France)), who led the Terriers with eight goals and 17 points a year ago, returns for his senior season.  The Terriers won each of the last two NEC Tournament titles in overtime on Andy Cormack free kicks, edging Bryant and Saint Francis U, respectively.
 
Now under the direction of first-year head coach Paulo Neto, Saint Francis U Red brings back a number of key players, including 2014 NEC Defensive Player of the Year and second team NSCAA All-American Francis de Vries (Christchurch, New Zealand/Cashmere). The junior defender and member of the prestigious Hermann Trophy Watch List was an instrumental part of a Red Flash defense that allowed only 19 goals in just 20 games. Redshirt senior midfielder Pablo Medina (Monterrey, Mexico/IMG Academies) also returns for the Red Flash. Medina led the NEC with 11 assists last season while ranking fourth in the country in that same category.
 
A year after reaching the NEC title match, Bryant earned a spot in the semifinals last season. A host of players are back for the Bulldogs including All-NEC first team member Brett Larocque (Ottawa, Ontario/Ecole Jean Vanier), a senior forward who led the Bulldogs with six goals and 16 points last season. Chris Knaub (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth), a 2014 second team All-NEC goalkeeper, also returns for the Bulldogs.  Knaub ranked second in the league in save percentage (.810) and third in goals against average (1.17).

Looking to bring an eighth NEC title back to Teaneck, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Seth Roland enters his 19th season as the head coach of the Knights. Returning for the Knights is senior midfielder Christian Dietrich (Berlin, Germany/Flatow-Oberschule), who led the team with four goals and nine points and was a second team All-NEC member last season.

Returning to the pitch for Central Connecticut is 2014 NEC Rookie of the Year Filosmar Cordeiro (Stamford, CT/Westhill). The sophomore midfielder finished his freshman season with two goals and seven points.  Second team All-NEC forward Zach Zurita (Stratford, CT/Monmouth) also returns for the Blue Devils. Zurita ranked second on the team with six goals during his junior campaign.

Back in the fold for Robert Morris is two-time NEC Player of the Year in Neco Brett (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior). Brett, a senior striker, led the nation with 15 goals and ranked fourth with 33 points a year ago. The explosive scorer has been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Brett is the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I over the last two seasons and is second among active players in scoring with 69 points on 29 goals and 11 assists.

LIU Brooklyn brings back two-time All-NEC honoree Tanner Sica (Toms River, NJ/Toms Rive North). The senior midfielder led the Blackbirds with six assists last season and finished his junior year with eight total points.

Sacred Heart’s leading scorer Mahmoud Kafel (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) returns for his senior campaign. As a junior, Kafel led the Pioneers with four goals and nine points last season.

About the Northeast Conference
Now in its 35th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.