WILMINGTON CHOSEN FIRST IN CACC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Aug. 19, 2010) – Wilmington University, which is ranked 15^th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll, has been voted first in the 2010 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll. The poll was conducted by the 12 CACC head coaches. Dominican College was selected second. Holy Family University, Post University and Bloomfield College were chosen third, fourth and fifth, respectively, and were separated by only two votes. Six schools garnered at least one first-place vote.  

Wilmington went undefeated in conference play last season (11-0) and finished 19-3-1 overall, and fell to Southern New Hampshire University, 1-0, in double overtime in the second round of the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament . The team welcomes back 15 players from that squad, including a pair of All-Americans in senior defender Jamal Wiggins and junior midfielder Nickalus McDonald. McDonald ranked third in the CACC in points last year with 30 (12 goals, six assists) and stood fourth in goals scored. Senior All-Region goalkeeper, Duhan Malali, will also be back after pacing the CACC in goals-against average (0.75) and ranking second in save percentage (.864). The Wildcats were ranked as high as ninth in the country at one point last season and finished 15^th.  

Dominican also competed in the NCAA East Regional last season and came up short against Franklin Pierce University, 2-1, in the opening round. The Chargers finished second in the CACC regular-season standings with an 8-2-1 record and went 13-4-2 overall. DC returns 13 players, including goalie Brandon Heembrock and defender Clifton Huxtable.  Heembrock was named to the All-CACC first team, the CACC All-Tournament team, the Daktronics East Region second team and was an ECAC First Team All-Star selection in 2009.  Huxtable earned All-CACC first team honors, Daktronics East Region second team accolades, was an ECAC second team All-Star and received NCAA Division II All-East Region third team accolades. 

Holy Family finished third in voting with one first-place vote and 102 points. The Tigers return first team All-Conference forward Tim Weglicki, who ranked seventh in the conference with 20 points last season on seven goals and six assists. Also back is All-CACC honorable mention choice, senior midfielder Jason Lopez, and starting goalie Mark Ferretti. Ferretti ranked third in the CACC in goals-against average (1.26) and save percentage (.843) last season. The Tigers finished 2009 with an 11-6-1 overall record to go with a 7-3-1 conference mark.   

Post returns six key players in 2010, including Francis Eno, a member of the 2008 CACC Championship squad. As a freshman, Eno scored 11 goals and three assists. Eltany Morias returns after scoring four goals after having a strong second half last season. Frantzy Noze enters the season with nine career goals, including three last year. Sophomore Errol Reid will be back in net after making 55 saves his freshman season.

Bloomfield rounds out the top five and returns 20 players from a club that advanced to the CACC Tournament championship game last year. Back is junior forward Terry Gibbs, who finished second on the team with five goals last season. Midfielder Triston Sommerville and forward Dwayne Reid, two of BC’s leaders in 2008, return after suffering injuries in 2009.  Sommerville’s 14 assists in 2008 led the conference. 

The 2010 campaign begins on Thursday, Sept. 2, with nine teams in action. Included in those games is an important conference match between two of the top five teams in the preseason poll, as Bloomfield travels to face Wilmington. The 2010 CACC Tournament will be held at Georgian Court University in conjunction with the women’s tournament on Nov. 2, 4 and 6. The complete 2010 preseason poll is below.