Aug. 15, 2007

RICHMOND, Va. - The George Mason men's soccer team, fresh off a year in which the squad appeared in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship match and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in a decade, was picked to finish third in the CAA according to a preseason poll of the league's 12 head coaches.

The Patriots finished last season with a 12-6-3 overall record, and tied for second in the CAA with a 7-3-1 mark in conference matches. The Patriots welcome back six starters, including sophomore goalkeeper Sean Kelley, who earned Second-Team All-CAA and CAA Rookie of the Year accolades after compiling a 0.64 goals against average and leading the conference with 11 shutouts. Also returning for his sophomore season is midfielder Richard Edgar, who joined Kelley on the CAA All-Rookie Team after netting two game-winning goals last season.

Old Dominion, which returns seven starters from last season's 14-6-2 squad that advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship, has been picked to capture the CAA men's soccer title this season. The Monarchs received nine first-place votes and 118 total points to earn the top spot in the poll. Hofstra, which has won the past three CAA titles, received one first-place vote and was picked second with 104 points, while George Mason was third with 99 points. Towson, which went unbeaten in CAA regular-season play last year, also received one first-place vote and was fourth with 91 points. VCU was picked fifth in the poll, followed by James Madison and UNC Wilmington in a tie for sixth, William & Mary, Northeastern, Delaware, Drexel and Georgia State.

ODU finished tied for second in the CAA regular-season standings (7-3-1) last season, and earned an at-large trip to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth year in a row. The Monarchs got past Winthrop and 14th-ranked North Carolina before falling to eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara in the round of 16. Back to lead ODU are First-Team All-CAA defender David Horst, who was the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore goalkeeper Evan Newton, who made the CAA All-Rookie squad after posting a 0.97 GAA and recording eight shutouts.

Hofstra captured its third consecutive CAA championship last season, becoming the first league team in more than a decade to accomplish that feat. The Pride have seven starters back from their 12-6-3 squad, led by First-Team All-CAA midfielder Chris Cox (4g, 4a). Also returning are senior midfielder Constantinos Christoudias (4g, 3a) and junior defender Corey Gudmundson.

Towson put together the finest season in school history a year ago, compiling a 15-2-3 overall mark and a 10-0-1 record in CAA play. The Tigers advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship and were ranked No. 15 nationally. Senior goalkeeper Billy Chiles, who was second in the nation with a 0.33 GAA, returns along with First-Team All-CAA midfielder Pat Healey (6g, 3a).

Traditionally regarded as one of the top men's soccer conferences in the nation, the CAA placed a league-record four teams in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship last season. That total was the third-most of any Division I conference.

2007 CAA MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Old Dominion (9 first-place votes) 118
2. Hofstra (1 first-place vote) 104
3. George Mason 99
4. Towson (1 first-place vote) 91
5. VCU 77
6. James Madison 60
UNC Wilmington 60
8. William & Mary 58
9. Northeastern 57
10. Delaware 36
11. Drexel 21
12. Georgia State 11

Note: Teams received 11 points for a first-place vote, 10 for second, etc. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.