Men's Soccer Picked First In NEC Preseason Poll
The Blue Devils are picked to defend their NEC regular season title from a year ago.
The Central Connecticut men's soccer team was picked to finish first in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches poll released on Tuesday. Central won the regular season and hosted the Northeast Conference Championship a year ago as the league's top seed. The Blue Devils sported a 6-1-0 record in the NEC last season and finished 9-9-1 overall.
CCSU earned three first place votes to spot them on top of the poll followed by Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis U in a tie for second. Bryant was picked to finish fourth followed by St. Francis Brooklyn, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, and LIU Brooklyn.
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Despite losing two All-NEC performers, including NEC Rookie of the Year Connor Qualter, the Blue Devils return four All-NEC selections from a year ago to help pace them on the pitch.
Central returns two of their top three point scorers from last season in junior's Zach Zurita and Freddy Metellus. Zurita lead the team in goals (6), assists (5), and points (17). He had one game-winning goal in his first season with the Blue Devils and was named to the NEC All-Conference Second Team. Metellus finished with six points last season tallying two goals and two assists.
The Blue Devils also return seniors Jose Gamboa and Stephen Walmsley, both of which were NEC All-Conference Second Team members a season ago. Gamboa helped anchor a solid Central defense that posted eight shutouts, including four in conference play. He also scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 road win at Fairleigh Dickinson. Walmsley also stepped up when it mattered most as he assisted on the game-winning goal in overtime in a 4-3 win at Sacred Heart on Oct. 13.
In goal the Blue Devils return senior Josef Abele, who had a standout season in his first year as a starter for CCSU. Abele posted an overall record of 9-4 with a 6-1 mark in NEC play. He had seven total shutouts (he also shared one) with four of them coming against conference opponents. Abele posted a 1.18 goals against average with a save percentage of .797 in his first season in goal and earned All-Conference Second Team honors.
The Blue Devils open the 2014 campaign on August 29 at home vs. Stony Brook at 7 p.m.
