Gents Soccer Sixth in Preseason SCAC Poll; Trinity Pegged as Preseason Favorite

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - After a season where the COVID-19 global pandemic pushed all men's soccer competition from the fall to the spring semester for the first time in conference history, the league is planning for a return to some type of normalcy this fall.

Following the third different league champion in the last three years, a first in conference history, Trinity University has emerged as the preseason favorite based on balloting from league head coaches heading into the 2021 SCAC men's soccer season.

The TU Tigers, who posted a 6-0-1 league record to secure the top-seed heading into last season's SCAC Tournament before falling in the semifinals, earned five of the nine first-place votes cast by league coaches to finish atop the poll with 75 points.

Trinity enters the 2021 season under the direction of head coach Paul McGinlay for the 31st consecutive season. In 30 seasons at the helm, McGinlay has complied an outstanding record of 515-86-32 (.839) with 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 national quarterfinal appearances and the 2003 national championship. 

Winners of 21 SCAC Titles, Trinity returns five All-Conference performers from last season as the Tigers look to return to the top of the conference mountain for the first time since 2018. Reigning SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year, senior Jacob Galan, headlines the group of returning All-Conference Tigers. First Team defender JonConnor Rule and Honorable Mention selection Brady Johnston, the 2018 SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year, join Galan to anchor a Trinity defense that allowed just eight goals and posted 0.97 goals-against-average last season. The Tigers have posted a sub-1.00 goals-against-average for 22 of the last 23 seasons. Offensively, First Team selection Fraser Burns and Second Team honoree Chen Adjei tied for the team lead and finished tied for fifth in the SCAC with nine points each in just eight games in 2020-21. Individually, Burns produced three assists, tied for the fourth most in the conference, and Adjei buried four goals which tied for third best in the league. The Trinity offense averaged 2.88 goals per game to lead the SCAC for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons.

On the heels of making a run to the program's first-ever SCAC Tournament title match last season, the University of St. Thomas (5-2-5; 4-2-2) picked up two first-place votes to finish second in the preseason poll with 62 total points. The Celts welcome back five All-SCAC players including First Team goalkeeper Rodrigo Lazo and Second Team forward and conference Newcomer-of-the-Year Ian Alvarez. Both Lazo and Alvarez earned a nod on the All-SCAC Freshman team as well. Lazo, who corralled 38 saves in his rookie campaign and posted six shutouts, along with Honorable Mention defender Luis Bencomo, will headline a backfield that boasted a 0.97 goals-against-average last season. Offensively, Alvarez led the Celts with four goals as a rookie and will reunite with fellow forward Gabe Salako as the pair finished 1-2 in goals for St. Thomas combining for seven on the year. Fabrizio Policastro, who joined Salako on the Honorable Mention team, finished with a goal to help the Celts post a 1.58 goals-per-game average, fourth best in the SCAC. 

After going undefeated in 2020-21 with a 4-0-3 overall record, Southwestern University came in as the third choice in the preseason rankings with 58 points. The Pirates, who saw 10 underclassmen make starts in four or more fixtures last season, return five All-SCAC honorees, including a trio of Second Team selections in Reagan Fortner, Nathaniel Blake, and Jack Viles. Fortner, a sophomore defender and Viles, a junior goalkeeper, headline a Pirates defense that posted five shutouts and led the SCAC with a 0.33 goals-against-average. It marked the first time in program history that Southwestern, who allowed just three goals all season, led the league in goals-against-average. The Pirates return 100 percent of their goal scoring from a season ago, including sophomore forward Jackson DeHaven who finished tied for the team lead with two goals and was named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Additionally, Fortner, Blake and DeHaven were all elected to the SCAC All-Freshman team.

Colorado College (5-4-1, 5-2-1) was the coaches' fourth choice, coming in with 55 total points on the preseason balloting. First Team All-SCAC honoree Kiran Singh returns to lead the Tigers offense after pacing CC and finishing second in the league with five goals a year ago. Colorado College also welcomes back defender Alexander Ward, a Second Team and All-SCAC Freshman honoree, along with Honorable Mention goalkeeper Keleher Felton as the Tigers look to extend their current streak of nine-straight seasons finishing in the top-three of the SCAC regular season table.

Rounding out the top five with 54 points, including one first-place vote is Texas Lutheran University (5-3-1, 5-3-0). The Bulldogs return four All-SCAC performers from last season, highlighted by three-time SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, Luis Green. As a junior, Green led the SCAC in points (26), goals (11), points-per-game (2.89), goals-per-game (1.22), game-winning goals (3), and shots on goal (21). He finished third in assists with four. Historically, Green's 1.22 goals-per-game is the sixth-best single-season performance in conference history and the highest since 1996. Green's 2.89 points-per-game ranks third-best all-time in SCAC history, trailing only Oglethorpe's Will Lukow's seasons of 3.26 and 3.00 PPG back in 1992 and 1991. TLU is looking to return to glory after earning the program's first SCAC Tournament Title in 2019. 

The 2020-21 SCAC Tournament Champions, Centenary College (4-5-3, 3-4-0) received the final remaining first-place vote to finish sixth in the poll with 42 points. A new era of Gents soccer is set to get started in this fall as Kevin White was named the seventh head coach in program history at the beginning of August. Coach White inherits a team that returns two All-SCAC performers, highlighted by Second Team honoree Jaron Petreas. Petreas, a junior midfielder, finished his sophomore campaign tied for sixth in the SCAC with three goals and tied for 11th with seven total points.

The University of Dallas (2-5-1, 2-5-1) finished seventh in the preseason coaches' rankings with 26 points. The Crusaders return their top scorer from a season ago in First Team All-SCAC midfielder Chase Reynolds, who finished tied for third in the SCAC with 11 points on three goals and four assists. He is one of just four players across the league to reach double-digit points in 2020-21. Dallas also returns Honorable Mention goalkeeper Goncalo Pernas who finished fifth in the league with 35 saves as a sophomore. Under the guidance of head coach David Hoffmann, who enters his 19th season at the helm of Crusader men's soccer program, Dallas looks to return to the SCAC Tournament after missing out last season following a stretch of six consecutive appearances dating back to 2014.

Austin College (1-6; 1-6), picked eighth in the preseason coaches' poll with 19 points, is poised for a bounce back season as the 'Roos welcome back seven of their top eight scorers from last season, including senior Ivan Barrios. Barrios led Austin College with two goals in his junior campaign and will be leaned on for leadership as head coach Mark Hudson has brought in 13 freshmen entering his 15th season as the manager of the 'Roos men's soccer program.

Rounding out the coaches' preseason poll, Schreiner University (0-8-0; 0-8-0) was picked ninth with 14 total points. The Mountaineers return four student-athletes that started seven or more games last season, including Honorable Mention All-SCAC performer Cody Smith. Smith, a junior, led the league with 53 saves last season and his .768 save percentage was good enough for fourth best in the conference. Schreiner will head into the 2021 fall season under the guidance of new head coach Devan Pilarski.

The SCAC men's soccer season begins on Wednesday, September 1, with several teams competing in early season tournament over Labor Day weekend, while the first conference matches of the season are scheduled for Friday, October 1. The 2021 SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be held in November on the campus of the Texas Lutheran University as semifinal matches will be contested on Friday the 5th and the championship match being played on Sunday the 7th.