Posted: Aug 21, 2019
TLU Men's Soccer third pick in SCAC preseason poll, receives first-place vote
SEGUIN, Texas -- The Texas Lutheran Bulldogs are picked to finish third in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer race after a vote of the league's 10 coaches.
The Bulldogs received 78 total points in the poll and had one first-place vote. Last season, TLU posted an overall record of 11-8 with a conference mark of 9-6.
Trinity is the preseason favorite after receiving 99 total points and nine of the 10 first-place votes.
Trinity edged TLU 2-1 in overtime in the 2018 SCAC Championship semifinal before defeating host Southwestern in the championship match.
Colorado College is predicted to finish second. The Tigers, with 88 points, were 10 points in front of the Bulldogs. Southwestern is the fourth choice after accumulating 75 points.
University of Dallas (54 points), Austin College (43), University of St. Thomas (39), Johnson & Wales - Denver (32), Schreiner (25) and Centenary (17) rounded out the SCAC preseason poll.
TLU Head Men's Soccer Coach Eddie Salazar and his coaching staff welcomed a record number of Bulldogs, 39, to this year's start of preseason camp. Salazar was the SCAC Coach of the Year a year ago.
The Bulldogs checked-in on Friday and have been in preseason workouts at TLU's Gustafson Field since that time.
TLU opens its regular season on Friday, Aug. 30 with a road match at Concordia Texas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
TLU's home-opener is set for the following day - Saturday, Aug. 31 - with an 8 p.m. match at Gustafson Field with the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Among the 25 returning players that the Bulldogs welcome back to campus is All-American Luis Green, one of the team's starting forwards. Green (Monterrey, Mexico/Smithson Valley) also was named the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and the SCAC Newcomer of the Year.
In 2018, Green scored 18 goals and had two assists as a true freshman for the Bulldogs.
The first conference matches of the season are scheduled for Friday, October 2nd. The 2019 SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be held in November on the campus of Trinity University as quarterfinal matches will be contested on Friday, Nov. 8. The semifinal matches are set for Saturday, Nov. 9, and the championship match is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 10.
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2019 SCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points) |
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1. |
Trinity University (9) |
99 |
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2. |
Colorado College |
88 |
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3. |
Texas Lutheran University (1) |
78 |
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4. |
Southwestern University |
75 |
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5. |
University of Dallas |
54 |
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6. |
Austin College |
43 |
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7. |
University of St. Thomas |
39 |
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8. |
Johnson & Wales University |
32 |
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9. |
Schreiner University |
25 |
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10. |
Centenary College |
17 |