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UNCG selected SoCon favorite; four earn preseason all-conference
GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro has been selected as the preseason favorite to defend its Southern Conference men’s soccer title in vote of the league’s coaches.
With teams not being allowed to vote for themselves, the Spartans received first-place nods on all seven possible ballots to earn the preseason favorite’s slot. Davidson is second, followed by Elon, Furman and College of Charleston. Appalachian State was sixth followed by Wofford and Georgia Southern.
UNCG also led the all-conference team with the most players for the third consecutive season. Two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year honoree Randi Patterson, a forward, headlined the squad, along with teammates Henning Jonasson as a forward, Scott Jones in the midfield and David Worthen on defense. Patterson, a senior from Hackensack, NJ, and Jones, a senior from Dallas, TX, have also been preseason All-American selections and are candidates for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to College Soccer’s National Player of the Year.
Patterson is trying to become the first player in Southern Conference men’s soccer history to win the Player of the Year award in three consecutive seasons. Only one person has ever won the award three times, that being Appalachian State’s Thompson Usiyan in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
UNCG, rated as high as No. 12 in the national preseason polls, will host Jacksonville on Friday night at 7 pm to open the 2006 campaign.
AGATE
Southern Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. UNC Greensboro (7), 42
2. Davidson, 33
3. Elon (1), 31
4. Furman, 29
5. College of Charleston, 25
6. Appalachian State, 18
7. Wofford, 11
8. Georgia Southern, 8
Southern Conference Pre-season All-Conference
Selections
F- Jeremy Gold, College of Charleston
F- KiKi Willis, Elon
F- Henning Jonasson, UNC Greensboro
F- Randi Patterson, UNC Greensboro
MF- Cass Baltz, Davidson
MF- Dominic Cianciarulo, Furman
MF- Scott Jones, UNC Greensboro
D- Junior Nombre, Elon
D- Jon Leathers, Furman
D- David Worthen, UNC Greensboro
GK- Taylor Saxe, Elon
- UNCG -
