BLOOMSBURG—The 2010 Bloomsburg University men’s soccer team has recently been ranked seventh in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) pre-season coaches’ poll.
Unlike last season, the PSAC will no longer be contested as separate East and West divisions. Rather, all ten teams will compete in a single overall division.
Mercyhurst University, which captured the 2009 PSAC West title, received seven first-place votes, edging Millersville University, which garnered two top votes and enough votes to fall just one point shy of the Lakers. Slippery Rock University captured one first-place vote and tied with East Stroudsburg University for the third spot on the poll. California and Gannon took fifth and sixth, respectively, while below Bloomsburg in seventh, West Chester, Lock Haven, and Shippensburg rounded out the poll.
The 2009 PSAC East runner-up Huskies return only three seniors and no juniors, which could possibly explain BU’s drop in the rankings. Despite the lack of faith from his peer coaches, Bloomsburg Head Coach Paul Payne is not discouraged, “I think [the conference] is wide open; it will be fun.”
Seniors Tim Pfender (Langhorne, Neshaminy) and John Fitzgerald (Budd Lake, NJ, Mount Olive)return to lead the Huskies in the backfield, while classmate Tom Kovack (Croydon, Conwell-Egan Catholic) will make an impact in the midfield. Look for sophomore Bryce Shaffer (Gettysburg, Gettysburg Area) to stand out again on the front line, while sophomores Alex Ruhfass (Newton, Council Rock North) and Tom Natter (North Hills, Abington) will see significant time as well.
A new face will take over net-minding duties for BU, taking over for David Leiendecker between the pipes. Four incoming freshman will contest the position, giving Payne options for the critical slot.
The 2010 campaign kicks off with the season-opener at home on Thursday, September 2, as the Huskies take on the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College on the Sports Stadium field at 7:30 p.m.
Listed below is the results of the PSAC men’s soccer preseason coaches’ poll. First place votes are in parenthesis.
1. Mercyhurst (7)
2. Millersville (2)
T3. East Stroudsburg
T3. Slippery Rock (1)
5. California
6. Gannon
7. Bloomsburg
8. West Chester
9. Lock Haven
10. Shippensburg