2024 Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll                   1. Saint Francis U (5)                 2. LIU (3)                 3. FDU (1)                 4. Le Moyne                 5. Mercyhurst                 6. Stonehill                 7. Chicago St.                 8. CCSU                 9. Howard                First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ -- The Red Flash are predicted to strike again and rise to the top of the Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s soccer standings for the second consecutive year in 2024.

As voted on by the league’s head coaches, Saint Francis U claimed five first-place votes to come in as the preseason favorite to win-it-all. LIU received three top-place tallies to finish second in the poll, while FDU secured the final first-place vote to rank third in the projected order-of-finish.

Landing fourth on the list was Le Moyne while NEC newcomer Mercyhurst came in fifth. Those squads were followed in order by Stonehill, league newbie Chicago State, Central Connecticut and Howard.

After clinching the program’s second-ever NEC regular season title in 2023, reigning NEC Coach of the Year Mads Kaiser and his staff look to lead their Red Flash squad back to the top of the conference in 2024 and add some postseason hardware to the trophy case for the first time in Saint Francis U history.

Reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year Tom Schellbach (Freiburg, Germany/Faust Gymnasium) highlights a Red Flash team that achieved the 13th unbeaten conference season (5-0-3) — and just the second undefeated regular season slate (17-0-1) — in NEC lore. The rising senior and 2023 All-NEC first team honoree anchored a Saint Francis U back line that led the conference in goals allowed (12) and goals against average (0.79). 

In addition, the German duo of Joschi Schelb (Frieburg, Germany/Angell) and Fabian Wagner (Grunsfeld, Germany/Walldorf Gynasium) return for their sophomore campaigns after they put together All-Rookie performances last season. Schelb registered the fifth-most assists in the NEC in 2023 with seven.

The Sharks, who caught fire at season's end to hoist the coveted NEC Tournament trophy and secure the league's AQ to the NCAA College Cup, will be circling the waters once again in pursuit of their seventh NEC postseason crown. Sophomore Joshua Saavedra (Miami, FL/Florida Virtual School) comes back after a head-turning freshman season that culminated with NEC Rookie of the Year honors. The All-NEC first teamer contributed seven goals last season to a potent LIU offense that led the circuit with 1.90 goals per match. Saïdou Diallo (Colobane, Dakar, Senegal/Diambars Academy), an All-NEC second team selection a year ago, returns as a graduate student with his sights set on guiding the Sharks to an NEC repeat.

Head coach Michael Mordocco, who enters his eighth season at the helm, will have a void to fill in the offense, though, with the graduation of two-time NEC Player of the Year Emil Jaaskelainien. The England-born forward put up league-leading numbers in points (30) and goals (12).

Former FDU assistant coach Jaymee Highcock will look to steer the Knights back to NEC glory in his debut season as head coach in Teaneck.

The nine-time league champions bring two All-Conference second team performers back to the pitch in 2024 in Jeffrey Marquez (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergen) and Spencer King (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/ILC). King remains one of the top goalkeepers in the conference after he closed out last year's campaign tied for first in shutouts while ranking second in save percentage (.787). In addition, the young pairing of 2023 All-Rookie squad honorees Jonathan Ghobrial (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada/Philopateer) and Gabriel Le Guen (Ploemeur, France/Lyceé La Croix Rouge) will also be key components to FDU's success this season.

Stringing together four double-digit win seasons since 2019, Mercyhurst looks to make some noise in its NEC debut after posting a 14-3-1 record a season ago during the program’s final year as a Division II member. The Lakers come into the league with three of their top point-getters from last season, including Dylan Sumner (Manchester, England/Wellacre Academy), who recorded 31 points on 14 goals and three assists.

Chicago State won five matches in 2024 as an associate member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Cougars went 3-4-3 in conference play to finish fifth in the end-of-year rankings and earn a spot in the OVC’s postseason tournament.

League play begins Sunday, Sept. 29, with four matches on the calendar. The top four teams in the standings will qualify for the NEC Tournament in November.

Stonehill and Le Moyne are eligible for the NEC Tournament for the second time this season, but both programs remain ineligible for the NCAA College Cup until 2026 and 2027, respectively. Mercyhurst, which will become eligible for the NEC postseason in 2026, can compete for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2028.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 44th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.