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Men's Soccer Picked to Finish Third in the Preseason BIG EAST Red Division Coaches Poll
Aug. 6, 2012
Louisville, Ky. - The Louisville men's soccer team was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Red Division while St. John's was selected as the division favorite, and Connecticut was chosen to win the BIG EAST Blue Division in the 2012 BIG EAST Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll. The votes were cast by the league's 15 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players. Connecticut junior forward Mamadou Doudou Diouf was selected as BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earned unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Louisville's Andrew Farrell, a junior, and Georgetown senior Jimmy Nealis earned Preseason Co-Defensive Players of the Year, while Andre Blake, a sophomore from Connecticut, was a unanimous selection as BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. The Cardinals were just one point behind USF, receiving 89 points and four first-place votes for a third-place spot entering 2012. Last season, UofL finished the regular season in fourth place with a 14-7-2 overall record and a 3-4-2 league mark. The Cardinals reached the BIG EAST Championship semifinals, falling to Connecticut 1-0. Louisville earned the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship, receiving a first-round bye and hosting its second-round game. UofL advanced to the quarterfinals, falling in double-overtime 1-0 to UCLA. Louisville will be led by Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Farrell and senior midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo. For the third-straight year, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. will serve as host for the BIG EAST Championship semifinals (Nov. 9) and final (Nov. 11). Updated ticket and television information can be found on bigeastsoccer.com as well as on Championship Central at bigeast.org. The tournament champion receives the league's automatic berth into the 48-team NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
2012 BIG EAST MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL Blue Division 1. Connecticut (13) 2. Notre Dame (1) 3. Georgetown (1) 4. Marquette 5. Providence 6. Seton Hall 7. Pittsburgh Red Division 1. St. John's (6) 2. USF (5) 3. Louisville (4) 4. Rutgers 5. Villanova 6. Cincinnati 7. DePaul 8. Syracuse
2012 BIG EAST PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Mamadou Doudou Diouf, Connecticut, F, Jr. Preseason Co-Defensive Players of the Year Andrew Farrell, Louisville, B, Jr. Jimmy Nealis, Georgetown, B, Sr. Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year *Andre Blake, Connecticut, GK, So. Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^ Andre Blake, Connecticut, GK, So. Carlos Alvarez, Connecticut, M, Sr. *Mamadou Diouf, Connecticut, F, Jr. Antonio Aguilar, DePaul, M, Sr. Ian Christianson, Georgetown, M, Sr. *Steve Neumann, Georgetown, F, Jr. Jimmy Nealis, Georgetown, B, Sr. Andrew Farrell, Louisville, B, Jr. C. Nortey, Marquette, F, So. Dillon Powers, Notre Dame, M, Sr. Ryan Finley, Notre Dame, F, Sr. Marc Cintron, Providence, M, Sr. Jack Bennett, St. John's, M, Sr. Tim Parker, St. John's, B, So. Brenton Griffiths, USF, B, Sr. *unanimous selection ^ extra member added due to voting ties |
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