25 agosto: domani inizia la regular season per i Bears con la prima partita del AAC Appalachian Athletic Conference che porterà due squadre alla fase nazionale della NAIA (National Association Intercollegiate Athletics).
Secondo il sondaggio della AAC effettuato lunedì scorso i favori del pronostico sono dati ala Bryan University (Tenn) che aveva già vinto il campionato lo scorso anno. In seconda posizione dei favori l'Union Univesity (Ky) che però avevano raggiunto il 7° posto nella fase nazionale, miglior posizione di una squadra AAC.
La Truett è data sesta e non gode di particolari pronostici.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Bryan (Tenn.) is the slight favorite to capture the 2017 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) men's soccer championship, according the AAC Coaches' Preseason Poll released Monday.y
Bryan received four of the eight first-place votes cast in amassing 60 total voting points. Meanwhile, Union (Ky.) picked up three first-place votes and placed second with 56 voting points.
Bryan and Union were the top two teams in the AAC last year. Bryan went 7-1-1 in league play to finish second to Union, which finished 8-0-1. The teams posted a 0-0 draw during the regular season before meeting in the AAC Tournament championship match, which resulted in a 1-0, overtime win for Union. Both Bryan and Union advanced to the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Bryan (16-3-3 overall in 2016) made it to the NAIA Opening Round, and Union (19-3-2 overall in 2016) advanced to the quarterfinal round. Union ended the year ranked No. 7 in the NAIA with Bryan checking in at No. 17.
The next three spots are separated by a total of two points. Reinhardt (Ga.), which garnered the remaining first-place vote, received 47 points with Tennessee Wesleyan and Bluefield (Va.) collecting 46 and 45 points, respectively, to round out the top five.
Truett McConnell (Ga.) is sixth at 34 points, while Milligan (Tenn.) and St. Andrews (N.C.) tied for seventh with 22 points. Montreat (N.C.) is ninth at 21 points, and Point (Ga.) rounds out the poll with nine points.
The AAC Tournament is set to begin with the opening round on Oct. 31 with the quarterfinal round scheduled for Nov. 3. The semifinal and championship rounds are slated for Nov. 7 and Nov. 10, respectively. All matches will be played at the highest remaining seed's home site.
2017 AAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll |
School (1st Place Votes) |
Total Points |
1. Bryan (4) |
60 |
2. Union (3) |
56 |
3. Reinhardt (1) |
47 |
4. Tennessee Wesleyan |
46 |
5. Bluefield |
45 |
6. Truett McConnell |
34 |
7. (tie) Milligan |
22 |
7. (tie) St. Andrews |
22 |
9. Montreat |
21 |
10. Point |
9
|