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2016 Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll             1. LIU Brooklyn (6)             2. Saint Francis U (2)             3. St. Francis Brooklyn             4. Central Connecticut             5. Bryant                 Robert Morris             7. Fairleigh Dickinson             8. Sacred Heart             First place votes in parentheses

 
   
Somerset, NJ -- After winning its first Northeast Conference (NEC) men's soccer championship since the 2004 season, LIU Brooklyn was picked by the league's head coaches to defend its crown in 2016. The Blackbirds picked up six first-place votes. Saint Francis U was tabbed second in the preseason poll, receiving a pair of first place nods.

St. Francis Brooklyn was chosen third and Central Connecticut was picked fourth, while Bryant and Robert Morris tied for fifth in the poll. Fairleigh Dickinson was picked seventh and Sacred Heart rounded out the eight-team field.

In the 2015 campaign, the Blackbirds finished undefeated in league play at 7-0 and amassed 11 total victories, the highest win total for the program since the 2002 season.

Under 2015 NEC Coach of the Year TJ Kostecky, LIU Brooklyn enters the season riding the second-longest unbeaten streak in the country at 13 matches. The Blackbirds return nine starters from its championship team, including 2015 NEC Tournament MVP and All-NEC honoree Logan Keys (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall). Keys led the league and ranked fourth nationally with an .873 save percentage. Also returning for the Blackbirds is reigning NEC Rookie of the Year Rasmus Hansen (Greve, Denmark/Brondby Gymnasium), who led the team and ranked third in the NEC in both goals (eight) and points (20), and classmate Simen Hestnes (Oslo, Norway/Wang Toppidrett), an All-NEC first teamer who finished with 13 points on the year. All-Rookie defenders Filip Nordstrom (Gothenburg, Sweden/Sonia Gymnasium) and Erik Wahlin (Stockholm, Sweden/Bromma Gymnasium) are also back in the fold for the Blackbirds.

Saint Francis U won the NEC regular season crown in 2014 and has reached the NEC title match in three of the last four years. Seeking the program's first-ever conference championship, the Red Flash bring back two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year Francis de Vries (Christchurch, New Zealand/Cashmere). A 2016 MAC Hermann Award nominee and two-time NSCAA All-American, de Vries finished the 2015 season ranked second on the team with six goals and 16 points while helping lead a backline that limited opponents to less than a goal per game, including ten shutouts. All-NEC first team forward Mario Mastrangelo (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) is also back for the Red Flash. Mastrangelo finished his freshman season ranked second in the NEC with 10 goals and 21 points, while ranking fifth nationally with six game-winning tallies.

St. Francis Brooklyn won back-to-back NEC titles in 2013 and 2014, and qualified for its third straight NEC Tournament last season. Junior Federico Curbelo (Brooklyn, NY/Christ the King) and sophomore Tommy De Andrade (Caracas, Miranda, Venezuela/Instituto Cumbres De Caracas) return in the midfield for the Terriers after having standout seasons last year. Curbelo finished second on the Terriers with eight points, while 2015 NEC All-Rookie honoree De Andrade ranked third on the club with five assists.

Central Connecticut returns a pair of All-NEC second team honorees and its two leading scorers in sophomore forward Louis Beddouri (Bordeaux, France/Lycee Lauga Bayonne) and junior striker Ryan Taylor (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor). Taylor finished the campaign as the team’s leading scorer with six goals and 15 points, while Beddouri ranked second on the Blue Devils with five goals and 11 points.

The 2016 NEC Men's Soccer Championship will be contested at the home of the highest seed on November 11 & 13 and will air live on NEC Front Row.

About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 36th 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.