Men's Soccer Picked Sixth in NEC Preseason Poll
The top six teams in the regular season will qualify for the postseason conference tournament.
Central Connecticut men's soccer was tabbed sixth in the Northeast Conference's preseason coaches poll announced on Wednesday. The Blue Devils open the 2023 season against Bryant on August 24 in Smithfield, RI.
Head coach David Kelly will begin his fourth campaign at the helm of the Blue Devils' program. In his first two seasons, Kelly has set about stamping his identity on the program. The Blue Devils opened the 2022 season with back-to-back shutout victories, marking the first time since 2009 CCSU began a campaign 2-0 and the first time since 2014 that it had posted consecutive shutouts. Junior Birk Martinsen, the team's leading scorer in 202, returns to lead the attack, while junior Kyle Halehale is back in the midfield after starting all 15 games. Classmates Ivan Farias-Martinez and Ola Telje will provide experience along the backline and have started a combined 71 career games in their careers.
FDU was selected as the unanimous favorite in the poll and was followed by LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U. in the top five.
The top six teams in the regular season standings will qualify for the NEC Tournament. The higher seed will host each round's contests with the quarterfinals being held on November 5, semifinals on November 8 and the championship on November 12.