Pfeiffer Named Favorite to Win 2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Pfeiffer University was named the favorite to capture the 2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship, the league announced today. The Falcons, who enter the season ranked No. 1 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Preseason Poll, tallied nine first-place votes and 90 total points from Conference coaches.
The Falcons are coming off a historic 2015 campaign, boasting a perfect 25-0-0 overall record and 10-0-0 Conference Carolinas mark, which was capped off with the program's first-ever NCAA Men's Soccer Championship title.
Pfeiffer was the first undefeated champion in Division II men’s soccer since 1999 and only the third team in history to finish with a perfect record. The Falcons also claimed the 2015 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship and have rattled off 25 consecutive wins, including their last 20 home contests dating back to 2014.
Limestone College, the 2015 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Championship runner-up, enters 2016 ranked second in the preseason poll after picking up one first-place vote and 82 points from conference coaches. The Saints posted a 16-5-0 record and 9-1-0 record in Conference Carolinas play, which propelled them to their third straight NCAA Men's Soccer Championship appearance.
Lees-McRae College tallied a total of 67 points from conference coaches to place third in the preseason poll. The Bobcats turned in an 11-7-0 overall record last year, which included a third-place finish in Conference Carolinas with a 7-3-0 record.
University of Mount Olive will enter 2016 ranked fourth with 63 points, while Southern Wesleyan University was picked fifth and King University sixth with 57 and 48 points, respectively.
The Trojans turned in a 8-9-1 overall record and 6-4-0 in conference play in 2015. The Warriors, who enter their first full season of Division II membership in 2016, posted a 15-7-2 overall record and 4-4-2 Conference Carolinas record last season. The Tornado turned in a 5-8-3 overall record and 4-4-2 conference mark in 2015.
Erskine College placed seventh with 41 points, followed by Barton College in eighth with 37 points.
The Flying Fleet finished 2015 with a 4-11-3 overall record and 2-5-3 conference record, while the Bulldogs turned in a 3-13-1 overall mark and 2-7-1 record in conference play.
Closing out the poll is Belmont Abbey College in ninth with 31 points and North Greenville University in 10th with 24 points.
Belmont Abbey concluded the 2015 season 3-11-3 overall and 2-6-2 in conference play. North Greenville wrapped up 2015 with a 2-13-0 overall record and 0-10-0 Conference Carolinas mark.
The 2016 Conference Carolinas men's soccer season begins on Thursday, Sept. 1.
2016 Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Pfeiffer (9) |
90 |
| 2. Limestone (1) |
82 |
| 3. Lees-McRae |
67 |
| 4. Mount Olive |
63 |
| 5. Southern Wesleyan |
57 |
| 6. King |
48 |
| 7. Erskine |
41 |
| 8. Barton |
37 |
| 9. Belmont Abbey |
31 |
| 10. North Greenville |
24 |
2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer Players to Watch:
Forwards (Year):
Rodrigo Neves (Sr.) - Barton
Chris Hicks (Sr.) - King
Eli Carrasco (Sr.) - King
Jorge Salvat (Jr.) - Limestone
Nathan Regis (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Christian Taylor (Jr.) - Southern Wesleyan
Midfielders (Year):
Tolly Beatson (So.) - Barton
Clay Dimick (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
Mark Trompeter (So.) - Belmont Abbey
Cameron Whitehurst (Sr.) - Erskine
Ben Allan (Jr.) - King
Ryan Murphy (Sr.) King
Thomas Deeley (Jr.) - Lees-McRae
Nathan Watt (Jr.) - Lees-McRae
Gui Machado (Sr.) - Limestone
Martim Galvao (Jr.) - Pfeiffer
Michel Herszenhaut (Sr.) - Southern Wesleyan
Ivan Malagon (Sr.) - Southern Wesleyan
Defenders (Year):
Josh Heafield (Sr.) - Erskine
Marvyn Rieger (Sr.) - Lees-McRae
Cristobal Allendes (Sr.) - Pfeiffer
Goalkeepers (Year):
Jens Hordvik (Jr.) - Barton
Wes Holifield (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
CJ Cluck (So.) - Erskine
Kari Sveinsson (Sr.) - King
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.