Aug. 17, 2009
NSCAA Division II Preseason Poll
The UMass Lowell men’s soccer team, fresh off one of its most successful seasons in program history, was pitted No. 8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) 2009 Division II Preseason Poll, released Monday.
The River Hawks are the highest-ranked team from the Northeast-10 Conference as Southern New Hampshire came in at No. 11 and Franklin Pierce at No. 16. Among East Region teams, the River Hawks were second behind No. 2 Dowling, the 2009 NCAA Tournament runner-up.
UMass Lowell opens the season against Dowling Wednesday, Sept. 2 (4:00) at Cushing Field.
“It is nice to be recognized by your peers, however we know that we have a ton of work to do for us to be successful, both in our league and outside of our league,” said first-year head coach Bryan Scales. “(The poll) is a testament to the hard work that the guys did last year and sets the bar high for our current team.”
UMass Lowell is fresh off a 13-4-4 record in 2008 (9-1-3 in the NE-10, tied for first), in which it peaked in the second half of the season. With a 3-2-3 clip on Sept. 28, the River Hawks went unbeaten in 11 of 12 matches (10-1-1) before falling to Dowling (1-0) in double overtime in the NCAA Tournament East Region Championship/NCAA Quarterfinal.
UMass Lowell returns 16 players and six starters from the 2008 team, including two-time NE-10 all-star goalkeeper Ryan Richards (Holden, MA), a senior who sported a 1.11 goals against average and six shutouts over 2,022 minutes in 2008.
Richards will lead a defense which includes All-NE-10 senior Rudy Kocandrle (Northboro, MA) along with seniors Mike Galvin (Brockton, MA), Corey Samuelson (Westboro, MA) and sophomore Asley Barrios (Revere, MA).
Anchoring the midfield will be senior Jhony Valencia (Lowell, MA) and sophomore Matheus Candido (Lowell, MA).
Up front, junior Stephen Potcner (Wilmington, MA), who ranked among NE-10 scoring leaders with nine goals and six assists, returns alongside senior Jeffery Danso (Worcester, MA), who chipped in five goals and five assists.
Following the season-opener against Dowling, the River Hawks host Dominican Sept. 9 (7:00) and open NE-10 play against New Haven Saturday, Sept. 12 (1:00) at Cushing Field.
