Men's Soccer Picked Second in MASCAC Preseason Poll

Men's Soccer Picked Second in MASCAC Preseason Poll

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University Bears have been picked to finish in second place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's soccer standings for the 2017 season.  The MASCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll was released this week by MASCAC Director of Media Relations, Emily Loux.

In a vote of the league's eight head coaches, Bridgewater tallied 40 points and received three first place votes. Defending MASCAC regular season and tournament champion Worcester State University topped the poll with 45 points as the Lancers also received three first place votes. Framingham State University rounded out the top three teams in the poll with 39 points including a pair of first place votes.

Under the guidance of 16th year head coach Brendan Adams, the BSU men's soccer team will open the 2017 campaign on the road as the Bears travel to Western New England University on Friday, September 1st for a four o'clock game with the Golden Bears.

BSU's home opener is slated for Wednesday, September 6th at 3:30 PM as non-conference foe Salve Regina University comes to Swenson Field.

The MASCAC schedule gets underway on Saturday, September 16th as the Bears travel to Salem State University to take on the Vikings at 5:00 PM.

Last season, Coach Adams' squad posted an overall record of 8-9-2 and finished tied for fourth place in the MASCAC standings with a 3-3-1 conference mark. Seeded fifth in the MASCAC Tournament, the Bears blanked fourth-seeded MCLA, 1-0, in the quarterfinals before dropping a 4-1 decision to eventual champion Worcester State in the semifinals.

Coach Adams returns seven starters (ten or more starts) from the 2016 team including All-MASCAC selections, junior forward Filipe Gomes (Fogo, Cape Verde) and junior midfielder Kane Moran (Perth, Australia), as well as sophomore goalkeeper Nate Morgado (Dartmouth, Mass.).

The Bears opened preseason camp on Monday, August 21st.

2017 MASCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
(1st Place Votes in Parentheses)
No. School Points
1. Worcester State 45 Pts. (3)
2. Bridgewater State 40 Pts. (3)
3. Framingham State   39 Pts. (2)
4. Mass. Maritime 28 Pts.
5. Fitchburg State 23 Pts.
6. Salem State 18 Pts.
7. MCLA 17 Pts.
8. Westfield State 14 Pts.