Heartland Conference Preseason Poll

Transylvania Picked to Capture HCAC Men’s Soccer Crown

GREENWOOD, IN – Transylvania University’s men’s soccer team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Pioneers received eight first-place votes and 96 total points in a poll of the conference’s ten head coaches.

2010 HCAC Preseason Poll

Team
Points
1.
Transylvania
96 (8)
2.
Rose-Hulman
92 (2)
3.
Earlham
74
4.
Anderson
68
5.
Hanover
56
6.
Franklin
49
7.
Manchester
44
8.
Defiance
30
9.
Bluffton
22
10.
Mount St. Joseph
19
Rose-Hulman will look to claim its spot at the top of the HCAC men’s soccer standings for the third-straight season, as the Engineers totaled a second best 92 points and two first place votes. Earlham College placed third in the poll with 74 points. Anderson University finished fourth with 68 points and was followed by Hanover College (56 points), Franklin College (49), Manchester College (44), Defiance College (30), Bluffton University (22), and College of Mount St. Joseph (19).

Transylvania is coming off a 16-3-3 record in 2009. The Pioneers finished second in the HCAC last fall with a 7-1-0 record, and defeated Hanover in the conference tournament final 2-1. Transy advanced one win shy of the Final Four in the NCAA tournament last fall, falling to Calvin on penalty kicks, 1-1 in the sectional final. Transylvania led the HCAC in goals (54), assists (26), and goals allowed (12) last season.

The Pioneers return three First-Team All-HCAC selections from their 2009 team. Senior midfield Tony Spero (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar) scored eight goals for TU last fall and is the leading returning scoring to this year’s squad. Senior’s Kyle Jordan (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) and Kevin Jones (Middletown, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) return to help lead the Transy defense which allowed only one goal in league play last season.

Rose-Hulman will look for their third consecutive regular season crown this fall. The Engineers finished the season 12-6-1 overall and 8-0-0 in HCAC action, but fell to Hanover in the semifinals of the HCAC Tournament. RHIT will try and replace the 2009 HCAC Most Valuable Player after losing Rhys Evans to graduation. Senior forward Corbin Clow (Martinsville, Ind./H.S.) will look to fill the void after leading the squad in scoring last fall, netting five goals and seven assists. Senior goalkeeper Andy Kruth (Cedar Park, Tex./Vista Ridge) returns in net for Rose after a successful junior season. Kruth allowed five goals and posted five shutouts in nine starts last fall.

Earlham College has been selected to finish third in their first year as a league member. The Quakers finished the 2009 season 7-8-3 overall and 2-6-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. EC returns their top two scorers from a year ago as senior forward Bannet Asingura (Mbarara, Uganda/United World College USA) and junior forward Nick Costello (Westwood, N.J./H.S.) return to the lineup. Asingura netted 11 goals and totaled 25 points last fall, while Costello added seven goals and an assist for the Quakers.

The 2010 men’s soccer season is set to begin on September 1.
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Players to Watch

Anderson
Matt Young
Senior
Midfield
Westerville, Ohio/DeSales



Austin Fridley
Junior
Midfield
Anderson, Ind./Highland


Stephen Brown
Junior
Defender
Richmond, Ind./H.S.


David Droeger
Junior
Forward
Lebanon, Ind./H.S.









Bluffton
Brian Good
Senior
Goalkeeper
Elida, Ohio/H.S.



Nolan Phelps
Senior
Defender
Monroe, Ohio/Lemon-Monroe


Jacob Graham
Senior
Midfield
Gomer, Ohio/Elida



Defiance
Kevin Elson
Junior
Defender
Wauseon, Ohio/H.S.



Joe Loftis
Junior
Midfield
Armada, Mich./H.S.


Tony Cornell
Senior
Forward
Carroll, Ohio/Bloom Carroll


Matt Johnson
Senior
Defender
Monroe, Mich./Jefferson









Earlham
Bannet Asingura
Senior
Forward
Mbarara, Uganda/United World College USA


Nick Costello
Junior
Forward
Westwood, N.J./H.S.


Jonah Kreniske
Senior
Goalkeeper
New York, N.Y./Martin Luther King Jr.


Jeremy Pillow
Senior
Defender
Urbana, Ill./University Laboratory





Franklin
Craig Wood
Junior
Midfield
Fishers, Ind./H.S.



Cody Graman
Senior
Defender
Columbus, Ind./East


Drew Ferguson
Sophomore
Defender
Louisville, Ky./Whitefield Academy


Andreas Kapsalis
Sophomore
Forward
Fishers, Ind./H.S.





Hanover
Jake Stawick
Junior
Forward
Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North


J.P. Presley
Senior
Defender
Sunman, Ind./East Central

Kyle Bohnert
Junior
Midfield
Louisville, Ky./Trinity

John Wittich
Freshman
Midfield








Manchester
Corey Brueggeman
Junior
Midfield
Loveland, Ohio/Little Miami


Cody Freels
Sophomore
Defender
Auburn, Ind./DeKalb

Dian Radev
Sophomore
Forward
Burgas, Bulgaria/Vasil Levski

Carson McFadden
Sophomore
Midfield
Elgin, Ill./Larkin





The Mount
Nicholas Siko
Sophomore
Forward
Avon Lake, Ohio/H.S.


Timothy Pope
Junior
Forward
Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder

Thomas Sunderhaus
Senior
Defender
Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills

Lee Rogers
Sophomore
Midfield
Cincinnati, Ohio/Mariemont







Rose-Hulman
Corbin Clow
Senior
Forward
Martinsville, Ind./H.S.

Joe Salisbury
Senior
Midfield
Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead


Mitchell Ishmael
Senior
Defender
Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut


Andy Kruth
Senior
Goalkeeper
Cedar Park, Tex./Vista Ridge







Transylvania
Tony Spero
Senior
Midfield
Lexington, Ky./Dunbar


Kevin Jones
Senior
Defender
Middletown, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick

Peter Mikhail
Junior
Midfield
Park Hills, Ky./Covington Catholic









For more information on the 2010 HCAC men’s soccer season and up-to-date scores and statistics, please visit the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference website at www.heartlandconf.org. Also follow the HCAC on Twitter and Facebook throughout the 2010 season! Twitter: HCACDIII Facebook: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference



Ryan Davis