Conference Carolinas

Limestone Earns Top Spot in Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll

8/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Limestone College men’s soccer team has been voted to defend its regular season title, being picked as the Conference Carolinas preseason favorites for the 2013 season. The Saints clinched the regular season championship for the first time in team history this past year and then went on to complete the championship sweep by taking the Conference Carolinas Tournament Title.

“I’m pleased to be ranked so high again this season,” said Head Coach Eric Alsop. “I still think we have a lot to prove after last year and we are all anxious to start playing matches. We have our sights set very high, but this conference is never easy, nor is the region, and every game will be a test for us.”

Limestone returns all but one starter from last year’s squad that went 13-5-1 overall and 8-1-1 in Conference Carolinas play and will return a majority of key contributors off the bench that were vital to the team’s success. Eight returning players were named to the All-Conference Carolinas Team a season ago while three returners earned various All-Region honors in 2012.

Senior midfielder Tom McCready led the Saints in scoring this past year, earning NSCAA and Daktronics Second-Team All-Regions honors after finishing second in the league with nine goals and 23 points. Also returning is senior defender Larry Mahon and junior forward Jorge Mackenna, both of which were First-Team All-Conference and All-Region selections in 2012.

Other returning All-Conference selections include: senior forward Jack Bailey, senior midfielder Thomas Metzemaekers, senior defender Calvin Bond, junior midfielder Sam Orritt, and sophomore keeper Tom Godfrey. Adding to the veteran leadership this year will be seniors Mark Mitchell, Sebastian Restrepo, Daniel Mohsen, and Bryce Ziada.

The Flying Fleet return seven starters from last year’s team, including three all-conference players in senior goalkeeper, Roberto De La Vina, junior striker Andrew Settlemire, and sophomore midfielder Ross Henderson. Defensively, Senior P.C. Henry, who played his best soccer last year, anchors the back row while junior Daniel Beaty and sophomores Jonathan Clark and Dmitri Minick look to start for their second collegiate season.

In the midfield, the Fleet lost team captain and four-time all-conference player Jack Kimber to graduation.  However, Henderson had a superb freshman campaign, scoring four goals, including two game-winners, while assisting on two others, in earning all-conference honors.  Also returning at midfield is junior Jonathan Rutter, who was all-conference two years ago and led the team in assists with four last year. 

Offensively the Fleet will rely on Settlemire to provide the offensive spark.  The two-time All-Conference honoree has led the Fleet the last two seasons, scoring nine goals each year. Erskine opens their 2013 campaign at home against archrival Anderson University on Thursday, September 5^th.  Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

The Barton men’s soccer team under the leadership of seventh-year coach Matt Akins has high expectations in the fall of 2013 after a pair of outstanding campaigns the last two seasons. The Bulldogs won 11 games in 2011 (most wins since 1998) and made a run to the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship game in 2012. Barton has accumulated a 13-8 league record over the last two years and has finished in the top four of the conference standings each time.

The Bulldogs’ roster features 18 letter winners and nine newcomers. Junior All-Region honoree Dante De Luca highlights Barton’s upperclassmen after leading Conference Carolinas in goals scored last season. Archer Bane, scored seven goals in both 2011 and 2012, which earned him All-Conference honors last year. Brazilian seniors Ricardo Oliveira and Daniel Alkmim will share the midfield with De Luca, while Patrick Schultze anchors the Bulldog defense as a senior. Starting goalie Vasily Yakimkin played in every game as a junior and is expected to stay between the pipes in his final season.

 

Mount Olive finished fourth in the poll, followed by Belmont Abbey, North Greenville, Lees-McRae, King, and Pfeiffer respectively rounding-out the poll standings.

Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)