Geneva tabbed PAC men’s soccer preseason favorite 8/25/2017 12:12:00 PM 2017 Composite Schedule 2017 PAC Players to Watch 2016 PAC Statistics GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – After registering the program’s first-ever Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament title in 2016, Geneva College was selected as this year’s favorite in the PAC’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as voted on by the league's nine head coaches. The results of the preseason coaches’ poll were announced with the league's players to watch list Friday. Geneva, led by eighth-year head coach and reigning PAC Coach of the Year Gary Dunda, collected seven of the available nine first-place votes and 78 total points to earn the top spot on this year’s preseason poll. Dunda and assistant coaches Mike Bair, Caleb Musselman and Jeb Nash were named the Great Lakes Regional Staff of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) last fall. Thomas More College, under the direction of third-year head coach Eric Busener, picked up one first-place vote and 72 points to finish second, while Grove City College and 12th-year head coach Mike Dreves claimed the final first-place vote and finished third with 61 points. Top-seeded Geneva won last year’s conference title and earned the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship after posting a 2-1 overtime victory against third-seeded Thomas More in the title game of the league's championship tournament. The 2017 players to watch list includes five All-PAC First Team selections from last fall, headlined by a trio from Geneva: senior forward Abel Carleton (Darlington, Pa. | Beaver County Christian), senior defender Gib McCracken (Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian) and junior goalkeeper Luke Nolan (Wexford, Pa. | North Allegheny). The league’s regular season concludes Sunday, October 29 with the four-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Wednesday, November 1. The title match is slated for Saturday, November 4. 2017 PAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) School (first-place votes) Points 2016 Record (PAC) 1. Geneva College (7) 78 16-4-1 (8-0) 2. Thomas More College (1) 72 10-9-2 (4-2-2) 3. Grove City College (1) 61 15-5-1 (6-1-1) T-4. Washington & Jefferson College 48 6-7-3 (2-4-2) T-4. Westminster College 48 6-7-4 (3-3-2) 6. Bethany College 38 8-10-2 (4-4) 7. Waynesburg University 27 4-12-1 (2-5-1) 8. Saint Vincent College 17 2-5 (1-7) 9. Thiel College 16 6-12-1 (2-6) 2017 PAC Men's Soccer Players to Watch Bethany Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Daniel Booth Jr. D Stockport, Manchester, England | Poynton Jay O'Donnell Jr. M Cardiff, Wales | Radyr Comprehensive Jose Saldivar Sr. D Moireno Valley, Calif. | Valley View Geneva Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Abel Carleton Sr. F Darlington, Pa. | Beaver County Christian Gib McCracken Sr. D Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian Luke Nolan Jr. GK Wexford, Pa. | North Allegheny Grove City Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Blake Baer Sr. M Bedford, Pa. | Bedford Jon Burton Jr. M Columbus, Ohio | Worthington Christian Christian Caporaso So. M Fairfield, Conn. | Christian Heritage Saint Vincent Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School James Antonoplos Jr. GK Havre De Grace, Md. | Havre De Grace Zach D'Amico Jr. F Mount Pleasant, Pa. | Mount Pleasant Josh Kucmeroski Jr. D Monessen, Pa. | Monessen Thiel Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Christian Conrad Jr. GK Barberton, Ohio | Central Catholic Andreas Jonassen Fr. F Stavanger, Norway Eric Mitchell Jr. M Barberton, Ohio | Barberton Zachary Oliver Jr. F Bridgeport, Ohio | St. Clairsville Thomas More Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Bryce Day So. M Edgewood, Ky. | Covington Catholic Colin Dean Sr. D Fort Thomas, Ky. | Highlands Suli Kayed Jr. M Union, Ky. | Ryle Ethan Smith So. F Columbus, Ind. | Columbus North Washington & Jefferson Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Alex Blout Sr. M Apopka, Fla. | Apopka Paul Mokrzan Jr. M Hilliard, Ohio | Watterson Christian Payne So. F South Park, Pa. | South Park Jason Yobbi Sr. D South Park, Pa. | South Park Waynesburg Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Justin Buberl So. M Westminster, Md. | Westminster James Snyder Jr. GK Gastonville, Pa. | Ringgold Westminster Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School A.J. Bove Jr. GK New Stanton, Pa. | Hempfield Area Peter Mattocks So. F Saegertown, Pa. | Saegertown Zach Medarac Jr. D Beaver Falls, Pa. | Blackhawk Zack Walters Sr. M Hermitage, Pa. | Hickory