Wingate Picked to Win 2015 Men’s Soccer Title; The League Announces Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Wingate Men's soccer team has been voted the preseason favorite to win the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Championship, the League announced today.  The Bulldogs, who are currently ranked No. 22 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II Preseason Poll, notched 10 first-place votes and 131 points by the League's head coaches as member institutions aren't allowed to vote for their own teams.

Wingate captured the 2014 South Atlantic Conference Regular-Season Championship after finishing the season 14-5-1 overall and 8-2-1 in SAC play.  The Bulldogs earned an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship and moved to the second round after defeating Barton College in round one.

Carson-Newman finished second in the voting with 109 points from the panel.  The Eagles closed out their 2014 season at 7-9-2 overall and 6-3-2 in South Atlantic Conference play.

Mars Hill placed third in the poll as it garnered 106 points.  The Lions turned in a 9-7-1 record overall and finished at 8-3 in the League during the 2014 season.

Tusculum, the 2014 SAC Men's Soccer Tournament Champion, landed in fourth-place with 98 points and two top votes, ahead of Lincoln Memorial who picked up 94 points.

The Pioneers posted an 11-6-3 overall record a season ago and went 5-4-2 in SAC contests.  The Railsplitters closed out their year with an 7-6-3 mark overall and a 4-4-3 record in SAC action.

Lenoir-Rhyne's 87 points from the panel was good for the No. 6 slot, while Anderson was close behind with 70 tallies.

The Bears closed out the 2014 campaign at 6-8-5 overall and 6-4-1 in South Atlantic Conference action, while Anderson wrapped up its season with an 8-9-1 overall mark and a 6-5 South Atlantic Conference record.

Queens landed in the No. 8 position with 58 points, while Coker placed No. 9 in the poll with 57 points. 

The Royals posted a 3-13 overall record during the 2014 season and went 3-8 in South Atlantic Conference action.  Coker went 4-8-5 overall and 4-4-3 in SAC games during the 2014 campaign.

Catawba came in at No. 10 with 50 points, as Newberry (36 points) and Brevard (23 points) rounded out the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll.

The preseason first and second teams were also announced today.  Wingate topped the South Atlantic Conference with six first-team selections, followed by Tusculum with three players on the first-team.  Lincoln Memorial, Anderson, Queens and Mars Hill also garnered one selection each.

The first-team forwards are headlined by 2014 All-American selection Charlie Machell from Wingate.  The Player of the Year a season ago, Machell led the South Atlantic Conference with 12 goals.  He also recorded four helpers to led the League with 28 points during the 2014 season. 

Andreas Kvam from Tusculum, Anderson's Andre Carle and Leonardo Da silva from Tusculum joined Machell on the list of first-team forwards.  Kvam put in seven goals for the Pioneers and handed out one assist during the 2014 season.  Carle posted six scores and five assists in 2014, while Da silva scored six goals last season.

2014 All-Region selections Askel Juul and Shaun Gadsby from Wingate highlight the list of first-team midfielders.  Juul ranked second in the South Atlantic Conference with eight goals to go along with one assist a season ago.  Gadsby was second in the SAC with eight assists.  He was also tied for No. 4 in the South Atlantic Conference with seven goals.

Teammate David Fairgrieve and Marc-Kevin Schwenk from Queens were also tabbed first-team midfielders.  Schwenk led the SAC with nine assist in 2014 and chipped in a pair of goals for the Royals.  Fairgrieve closed out the 2014 campaign with a pair of goals and two assists.

The first-team defenders list features a pair of 2014 All-Region selections in Alex Nelson from Wingate and Guillermo Lazcano from Tusculum.  Mars Hill's Christian McArthur and James Scott of Wingate round out the first-team midfielders.

Jorge Alvarez from Tusculum was voted the first-team goalkeeper after leading the South Atlantic Conference with a .788 save percentage in 2014.  His 0.86 goals against average was also good for No. 1 in the South Atlantic Conference a season-ago.

The 2015 South Atlantic Conference Men's soccer season is set to get underway on Thursday, Sept. 3.

2015 SAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll

2015 Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team All-Conference
F – Charlie Machell, Wingate
F – Leonardo Da silva, Lincoln Memorial
F – Andre Carle, Anderson
F – Andreas Kvam, Tusculum
MF – Aksel Juul, Wingate
MF – Shaun Gadsby, Wingate
MF – David Fairgrieve, Wingate
MF – Marc-Kevin Schwenk, Queens
D – Alex Nelson, Wingate
D – James Scott, Wingate
D – Christan McArthur, Mars Hill
D – Guillermo Lazcano, Tusculum
GK – Jorge Alvarez, Tusculum