Men's Soccer comes in Fifth in SCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. -- Texas Lutheran University Men's Soccer has been picked to finish fifth in this year's Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship race.

After a season where the COVID-19 global pandemic pushed all men's soccer competition from the fall to the spring semester for the first time in conference history, the league is planning for a return to some type of normalcy this fall.

Texas Lutheran Men's Soccer rounds out the top five of the nine team poll - receiving 54 points, including a first place vote - after their 5-3-1 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs return four All-SCAC performers from last season, highlighted by three-time SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year and CoSIDA Academic All-American, Luis Green (Monterrey, Mexico/Smithson Valley HS (TX)). As a junior, Green led the SCAC in points (26), goals (11), points-per-game (2.89), goals-per-game (1.22), game-winning goals (3), and shots on goal (21). He finished third in assists with four. Historically, Green's 1.22 goals-per-game is the sixth-best single-season performance in conference history and the highest since 1996. Green's 2.89 points-per-game ranks third-best all-time in SCAC history, trailing only Oglethorpe's Will Lukow's seasons of 3.26 and 3.00 PPG back in 1992 and 1991.

Senior forward Nicolas Medina (Houston/St. Pius X) returns for his senior season following a 2020-21 season that saw him named to the All-SCAC Second Team.

The Bulldogs also return two dynamic defenders in sophomore Jack Manke (Houston/Stratford) and senior Jared Esparza (Cibolo/Steele) who joined Medina on the All-SCAC Second Team last year.

The Bulldogs will be coached by Coach Eddie Salazar, who will be entering his 16th season as Head Coach of the club and is the longest tenured coach of the Texas Lutheran Athletics staff.

Following the third different league champion in the last three years, a first in conference history, Trinity University has emerged as the preseason favorite based on balloting from league head coaches heading into the 2021 SCAC men's soccer season- earning five out of nine possible first place votes. TLU is looking to return to glory after earning the program's first SCAC Tournament Title in 2019.

The SCAC men's soccer season begins on Wednesday, September 1, with several teams competing in early season tournament over Labor Day weekend, while the first conference matches of the season are scheduled for Friday, October 1. The 2021 SCAC Men's Soccer Tournament will be held in November on the campus of the Texas Lutheran University as semifinal matches will be contested on Friday the 5th and the championship match being played on Sunday the 7th.