INDIANAPOLIS – The Northern Kentucky men’s soccer team, the defending NCAA Division II National Champion and reigning GLVC Champion, has been selected to capture the GLVC Championship again in 2011 as determined by a preseason vote of the league’s coaches. The Norse collected 217 total points in the poll and 11 of the 16 first-place votes.
NKU will enter the 2011 season after coming off the school and conference’s first men’s soccer national championship campaign. The Norse posted a 20-2-3 overall record en route to the national crown. NKU was 9-2-3 in the conference season and posted the school’s first league title since 1995.
Following the Norse in the preseason poll rankings was Lewis in second place with 196 total points and Missouri S&T which was third with 189 total points. The three clubs shared the regular season title in 2010 as each finished with a .750 winning percentage. Lewis notched two first-place votes in the poll, while S&T earned one first-place vote.
Quincy earned 164 points to earn fourth place in the poll and was followed by Drury which finished fifth in the poll with 160 points and one of the final two first-place votes. The Panthers were followed closely by Bellarmine (155 total points) and Rockhurst (153) who finished sixth and seventh in the voting, respectively.
Indianapolis ranked eighth in the poll with 150 total points and claimed the final first-place vote, while Missouri-St. Louis placed ninth with 104 total points.
One of the league’s newest members, William Jewell, was selected to finish in 10th place in its inaugural season in the league. The Cardinals earned 99 total points in the poll and were followed by UW-Parkside (89), Saint Joseph’s (78), Southern Indiana (74), Maryville (42), UIS (31) and Kentucky Wesleyan (19).
The 16 GLVC men’s soccer teams will compete in a 15-game round robin schedule during the regular season with the top eight teams earning a berth to the GLVC Tournament. The top four seeds will host quarterfinal matches on campus with the four remaining teams heading to the top remaining seed site for the semifinals and final on Nov. 4 and 6.
The 2011 regular season will open on Sept. 1 with conference play set to start on Sept. 9.
The complete 2011 GLVC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll follows…
Team (First-place votes) Total Points
| 1. |
Northern Kentucky (11) |
217 |
| 2. |
Lewis (2) |
196 |
| 3. |
Missouri S&T (1) |
189 |
| 4. |
Quincy |
164 |
| 5. |
Drury (1) |
160 |
| 6. |
Bellarmine |
155 |
| 7. |
Rockhurst |
153 |
| 8. |
Indianapolis (1) |
150 |
| 9. |
Missouri-St. Louis |
104 |
| 10. |
William Jewell |
99 |
| 11. |
UW-Parkside |
89 |
| 12. |
Saint Joseph's |
78 |
| 13. |
Southern Indiana |
74 |
| 14. |
Maryville |
42 |
| 15. |
UIS |
31 |
| 16. |
Kentucky Wesleyan |
19 |
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