NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Saint Louis picked up 10 first-place votes to sit atop the 2014 Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll announced by the league on Tuesday.

SLU garnered a total of 164 points to take the top spot in the poll, while defending A-10 champion George Mason snared a pair of first-place nods and a total of 151 points to place second. VCU earned the final first-place vote and a total of 147 points to finish third in the poll taken of the A-10's 13 head coaches.

In its first year in the A-10, Mason finished right behind SLU in the standings with a 5-0-3 regular season record. The Patriots knocked off the Billikens, 1-0, in the A-10 Championship, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament where they advanced past William & Mary on penalty kicks, before falling to eventual national semifinalist New Mexico. A-10 Rookie of the Year Steffen Kraus is back in the net for Mason following a freshman campaign in which he posted nine shutouts and a 0.71 goals against average, earning him First-Team All Atlantic 10 honors and a spot on the NSCAA All-American team.

"We are fortunate as a conference to have some very good nationally ranked and nationally competitive caliber teams," said head coach Greg Andrulis. "St.Louis as the presumptive favorite is no surprise considering the quality players and team that they have returning. It's a long season with many games to be played until the conference tournament in November. We'll see where we all are then."

Dayton came in fourth in the poll with 127 points, A-10 newcomer Davidson earned 105 points to take the fifth slot, while Duquesne had an even 100 points to place sixth. 

La Salle (93 pts.) and Fordham (70 pts.) finished in seventh and eighth place respectively, while George Washington (58 pts.), Saint Joseph's (53 pts.), Massachusetts (40 pts.), Rhode Island (39 pts.) and St. Bonaventure (34 pts.) rounded out the poll.

Additionally Timi Mulgrew, Taylor Washington and Steffen Kraus were named to the preseason All-Conference Team while Henning Dirks and Alain Sargeant were voted to the preseason All-Rookie team. Mason open's its season this Friday, August 29 against Howard in the Kuykenstrong D.C. College Cup.