Men’s Soccer Coaches Choose Converse to Repeat as League Champs in Preseason Poll

Men’s Soccer Coaches Choose Converse to Repeat as League Champs in Preseason Poll

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – After claiming the 2022 Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles in the second-year as a program, Converse has been picked to repeat in the 2023 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll. 
 
The conference office officially unveiled the preseason poll on Aug. 24. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
The Valkyries, who finished the 2022 season 13-1-5 overall and 8-0-3 in league play, garnered seven first-place votes and 136 points. Francis Marion, who was 8-6-5 overall in 2022 and 6-2-3 in conference play, finished as runners-up and were picked second with 127 points and four first-place tallies. Conference newcomer, Young Harris, was picked third with 116 points and the final pair of the 13 first-place votes. North Greenville (112) and Chowan (107) round out the top five.

Mount Olive was picked sixth with 85 points followed by Barton and Lees-McRae, tied with 75 points, Emmanuel (57), Belmont Abbey (55), King (30), Erskine (21) and Southern Wesleyan (18).
 
The 2023 season gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 31 with nine matches with conference play beginning on Sept. 9. The first two rounds of the conference tournament will take place on campus sites at the higher seeds on Nov. 1 and 4. The semifinals and championship, Nov. 10 and 12, will be played at Bryan Park in Browns Summit, North Carolina.
 
2023 Conference Carolinas
Men's Soccer Preseason Poll 
 
School Total (First Place)
Converse 136 (7)
Francis Marion 127 (4)
Young Harris 116 (2)
North Greenville 112
Chowan 107
Mount Olive 85
Barton 75
Lees-McRae 75
Emmanuel 57
Belmont Abbey 55
King 30
Erskine 21
Southern Wesleyan 18

2023 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer
Players to Watch
 
Barton
  • Blake Grove, So., F, Newstead, Australia (2022 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Gabriel Slemer Lopes, Jr., F, São Paulo, Brazil (Fall 2021 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Steingrimur Gunnarsson, So., GK, Grenivik, Iceland
Belmont Abbey
  • Kevin Daly, Gr., D, Gainesville, Florida (2019 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year; Spring 2021 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team)
  • Davis McBee, Gr., MF, Gastonia, North Carolina (Spring 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Brett Ramsey, Sr., D, Deltona, Florida
Chowan
  • Harri Lovett, Gr., D, Wrexham, Wales (2022 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference Carolinas, D2CCA Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region, CSC Academic All-American; Fall 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas, Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Elite 23 Award, D2CCA Third Team All-American and First Team All-Region, CSC Academic All-American, United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Region; Spring 2021 First Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Leke Ademola, So., F, Eastbourne, England
Converse
  • Hayden Gensler, Jr., F, Cleveland, Georgia (2022 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference Carolinas, D2CCA Second Team All-Region)
  • Max Seiwald, Jr., D, Salzburg, Austria (2022 Conference Carolinas Third Team All-Conference) 
  • Kyle Lewis, So., F, St. James, Barbados
Emmanuel
  • Tomas Pollacchi, Jr., F, San Andres de Giles, Argentina
  • Rafael Calderon, Sr., D, Talca, Chile
  • Martin Cruz, Sr., D, West Valley City, Utah
Erskine
  • Lacy Josey, Jr., F, Hartsville, South Carolina
  • Quinlan Van Arkel, So., MF, Dordrecht, Netherlands
  • Evan Zizek, Sr., GK, Nobleton, Ontario, Canada (Spring 2021 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Francis Marion
  • Hugo Jonsson, Gr., MF, Malmo, Sweden (2022 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament Team)
  • Sebastian Garcia, 5th, D, Asuncion, Paraguay (2022 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2021 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Wendel Lima, Sr., MF, São Paulo, Brazil
King
  • Kirk Rahill, So., D, Louth, Ireland 
  • Kenneth Walton, Jr., F, New Bern, North Carolina
  • Tijani Ali Khelifaoui, Sr., MF, Saint Étienne, France 
Lees-McRae
  • Fletcher Dyson, Jr., MF, Aylsham, Norfolk, England (2022 First Team All-Conference Carolinas, D2CCA First Team All-Region) 
  • Gray Smith, Jr., D, Pinehurst, North Carolina (2022 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas) 
  • Harrison Watts, Jr., F, Clarksville, Tennessee (2022 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas) 
Mount Olive
  • Axel Engren, Jr., GK, Sundsvall, Sweden (2022 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Guilherme Semola, So., F, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2022 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Amin Ferreira, Sr., D, Winter Garden, Florida (2022 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas) 
North Greenville
  • Renan Macuglia, Sr, F, Balneário Camboriú, Brazil (2022 Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Yessine Bessaies, Gr, F/MF, Bordeaux, France (2022 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
  • Kalvin Semedo, Sr, F/MF, Paris, France (2022 Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Southern Wesleyan
  • Gabriel Melendez, So., MF, Midway, Georgia
  • Feren Nunez, Jr., MF, Easley, South Carolina 
  • Solomon Pitts, Jr., D, Chicago, Illinois 
Young Harris
  • Quinn Thompson, Jr., D, Hull, England (2021 First Team All-Peach Belt Conference, D2CCA Third Team All-American and First Team All-Region) 
  • Saad Maziane, Jr., F, Casablanca, Morocco (2021 First Team All-Peach Belt Conference, D2CCA Third Team All-American and First Team All-Region, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region; 2020 First Team All-Peach Belt Conference)
  • Charlie Wilde, Jr., MF, Derby, England