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BAY CITY, Mich. -- The head men's soccer coaches of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) chose Northwood University to win the league's championship in preseason balloting.
The league's five head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their team. The first-place team on each ballot received four points, while second received three points, etc.
Northwood earned a total of 14 points and two first-place votes, narrowly edging out GLIAC newcomer, Tiffin University, which also tallied two first-place nods but only 13 total points. The Timberwolves, after finishing tied for second in 2007 GLIAC regular-season play, posted a second-place finish in the league tournament. The Dragons, who played an independent schedule last season, earned a 10-6-1 record, including a 4-2 mark against GLIAC opponents.
Saginaw Valley State University recorded the lone remaining first-place vote while tallying 10 points. The Cardinals finished tied for second with Northwood (6-3-1) in GLIAC regular season play last season.
Fourth place Ashland University earned seven points in poll, recording just one more point than fifth place University of Findlay. The Eagles and Oilers finished sixth and fifth, respectively, in 2007 league play.
Gannon University claimed the GLIAC's inaugural men's soccer postseason tournament in 2007. The Golden Knights, who earned the tournament's top seed by having the best regular season record, defeated rival Mercyhurst College, 3-2, in overtime, in the semifinals. The No. 2 seed, Northwood, bested No. 3 Saginaw Valley State, 2-1, in the other semifinal match. Gannon then posted a 2-0 win over Northwood in the GLIAC championship match.
GLIAC men's soccer teams open play on Thursday, Aug. 28 with conference play beginning Sunday, Sept. 14. The 2008 GLIAC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament will be held on Nov. 6 & 8 on the campus of the No. 1 seed.
The following are previews on each of the GLIAC's five men's soccer teams for 2008:
Ashland University
Head Coach: John Hall
(Eighth season, 61-52-9)
Coach John Hall returns for his eighth season as the Ashland University men's soccer coach. The Eagles look to rebound after a very disappointing 2007 season. A new group of young talent looks to make the Eagles more competitive this season.
Ashland's top returners are junior defender/midfielder Ross Ashley (2-1-5); senior defender/midfielder Aaron Favri (2-0-4); and junior midfielder Tom Mangotic (2-1-5).
University of Findlay
Head Coach: Andy Smyth
(18th season, 156-156-29)
The University of Findlay men's soccer team is coming off of a 5-11-1 season and are continuing to make strides under the guidance of head coach Andy Smyth, who has a record of 156-156-29 during his 18 years at the helm of the program. The team returns a lot of talent led by junior B.J. Goodwin who racked up numerous awards during his second season with the Oilers.
Goodwin is coming off of a sophomore campaign in which he was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year. A first team all-conference selection, Goodwin recorded a team-high 23 points. He also scored a team-high eight goals to go along with a team-high five assists. He was also named second team all-Great Lakes Region by Daktronics and third team all-region by the NSCAA.
Also back to aid the Oilers cause will be senior Michael Albert and sophomore's Dan Stelletell and Nick Pahren who were second team All-GLIAC selections last year.
Northwood University
Head Coach: Doug Carter
(Eighth season, 50-58-10)
After finishing second in the regular season and in the GLIAC Tournament in 2007, the Northwood Men's Soccer team is hoping to reach the top of the league in 2008. The Timberwolves return 13 players from last year's team, which finished the season 7-1 in its last eight games.
Ross Aitchison, who led the GLIAC in goals and points a year ago, is the top returning player for the Timberwolves. Senior midfielder Art Neilson earned First Team All-GLIAC honors a year ago and should be one of the elite players in the conference this season. Northwood should also see contributions from returners Corey Tiller, Sascha Nanninga, Steve Hufstader and Ryan Morales.
Saginaw Valley State University
Head Coach: Andy Rishmawi
(Third season, 15-22-1)
The Cardinals had their best season in program history in 2007, finishing with a record of 11-8-1 overall and 6-3-1 in the GLIAC, good for third in the conference and a berth into the GLIAC Conference Tournament.
Four different players were named to All-GLIAC teams, including returning All-GLIAC First Team selection Kevin Fox. Fox, a junior forward, started all 20 matches last season, posting seven goals and six assists. Senior forward Brent Walker tallied seven goals and shared the team lead with Fox recording six assists in 2007. Senior defender Larry Ferreira led SVSU in minutes last season (1,399) while tallying five goals and three assists.
Tiffin University
Head Coach: Rudy Brownell
(Second season, 10-6-1)
The Tiffin University men's soccer team enters its first year of competition in the GLIAC after spending the 2007 season as a Division II Independent. Head Coach Rudy Brownell enters his second season at the helm of the men's team after serving as the team's Assistant Coach the past three years.
The team outscored their opponents by almost a full goal last season, but was outshot as well, and Coach Brownell wants to see the team's experience from last season carry over into this year. Junior Tony Iyayi (10 goals, 23 points) and senior Adi Vlad (7 goals, 4 assists) lead the offensive attack, with sophomore Rhys Cannella (4 goals, 4 assists) also looking to improve.