Monks Selected to Finish First in Preseason Poll
WINTHROP, Mass. – Six-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Champions Saint Joseph's (Maine) is looking for a return to the NCAA Tournament as they were picked to finish first this season.
The Monks earned 213 points, including eight first place votes, in this year's preseason poll which was conducted by the league's 15 Men's Soccer head coaches this past week.
Last year, SJC finished the regular season at the top of the conference with a 11-2-1 record in GNAC Play (11-3-3 overall), earning the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. The Monks defeated Regis in the Quarterfinals, 3-0, before being upset by No. 5 seed and last year's runner-up Norwich in the Semifinals, 1-0.
Reigning GNAC Champions Johnson and Wales come in second this year with 209 points with four first-place votes. The Wildcats earned their 10th conference title after defeating New England College, the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), and Norwich to claim the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. Johnson & Wales fell short in the first round to Rochester (NY) to penalty kicks.
Last year’s GNAC Tournament runner-up Norwich landed in the No. 3 spot in this year's ranking with 177 points, while the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) placed fourth with 175 with two first-place votes, and Albertus Magnus placed fifth with 164 points.
Emmanuel finished sixth with 134 points (one first-place vote). New England College (133 points) and Dean (121) rounded out the top half of the poll at No. 7 and No. 8.
Rounding out the poll in order were Regis (109), Rivier (90), Anna Maria (73), Lasell (58), Mitchell (52), Colby-Sawyer (49), and Elms (43).
The 2024 GNAC Men’s Soccer season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30 with teams opening their non-conference slates. The first league play date is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7. Teams will complete a 14-game single round robin conference season with the top-10 teams at the end of the regular season earning berths into the 2024 GNAC Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament. The postseason starts with a Play-In Round featuring the bottom four tournament seeds on Thursday, Oct. 31. The winners of those games will advance to the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 2 with the winners moving on to the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The tournament will conclude with the GNAC Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 9 with winner claiming the title of GNAC Champion and earning the league’s automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.
2024 GNAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
|
1. |
Saint Joseph’s (Maine) |
213 (8) |
|
2. |
Johnson & Wales |
209 (4) |
|
3. |
Norwich |
177 |
|
4. |
University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) |
175 (2) |
|
5. |
Albertus Magnus |
164 |
|
6. |
Emmanuel |
134 (1) |
|
7. |
New England College |
133 |
|
8. |
Dean |
121 |
|
9. |
Regis |
109 |
|
10. |
Rivier |
90 |
|
11. |
Anna Maria |
73 |
|
12. |
Lasell |
58 |
|
13. |
Mitchell |
52 |
|
14. |
Colby-Sawyer |
49 |
|
15. |
Elms |
43 |
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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