August 28, 2017

Oneonta tops 2017 SUNYAC men's soccer coaches preseason poll

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has released its 2017 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2017 season. The Oneonta Red Dragons have been chosen by conference coaches as the first place team with a total of 97 points.

In their 2016 season, the Red Dragons finished their season 16-7-1 (6-2-1 conference). Despite falling to Cortland 1-0 in the SUNYAC Championship, the team earned an NCAA at-large bid, and won their way to the NCAA third round, where they fell 2-1 to Rutgers-Newark in two overtimes. Oneonta ended their 2016 season ranked 14th in the nation. Entering his 15th season at Oneonta, head coach Iain Byrne hopes to lead his team to win their 10th SUNYAC tournament championship in program history, as well as another run in the NCAA tournament.

In second place is the Cortland Red Dragons with a total of 89 points. Last season, the Red Dragons had a tremendous campaign with an overall record of 19-3, and a conference record of 8-1. Having defeated Oneonta in the SUNYAC Championship, the team earned their way to the NCAA third round, falling to Franklin & Marshall, 1-0, in overtime, ultimately they finished tied ninth nationally. Cortland hopes to see the same success as the 2016 season under head coach Steve Axtell.

The Buffalo State Bengals were voted third with 73 points in total. The Bengals earned the number four seed in the SUNYAC Tournament in their 2016 season with a conference record of 5-4. The team made an impressive run in the SUNYAC tournament, defeating New Paltz, 2-0, in the first round and making it to the semifinals before falling to Cortland 1-0. Under head coach Mark Howlett, the Bengals look to earn a spot in the conference tournament for the third year in a row.

2017 SUNYAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll