Pioneers Predicted to Finish 8th in the AMCC
A young Alfred State men's soccer team has been predicted to finish 8th in the AMCC preseason coaches poll.
Medaille and Penn State Behrend are tied on top of the preseason poll. Mt. Aloysius is ranked 3rd followed by Pitt Bradford, La Roche, Pitt-Greensburg, Penn State Altoona, and Alfred State. Hilbert is ranked 9th.
The Pioneers are in the midst of a very competitive preseason camp which featured over 50 players vying for a spot on the roster. Veteran David Benson (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) is one of a small number of returners. The senior led the team in assists and was second in points in 2019. He was the team MVP and a returning captain.
Juan Ruiz (Port Chester) and Andre Mateos (Batavia) were key members of the 2020 team that was able to play in a handful of scrimmages during the 2021 spring season. Each of these players were honored for their play in the ASC end of year college award season.
Logan Brinsky of Penn State Behrend and Chase Rider of Pitt Bradford have been named AMCC Preseason Offensive Players of the year while Christian Eckberg of Behrend has been named AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
The Pioneers will open up the season on September 1st when they host Elmira. The team will continue their non-conference schedule with matches vs. St. Vincent, Penn College, Potsdam, and Cazenovia before opening AMCC play vs. Pitt Bradford on September 18th. The team will take on Utica, Wells, SUNY Poly, and Valley Forge in between conference games the rest of the way. The regular season ends on October 26th with postseason beginning the last weekend in October. The AMCC Championship will be played on November 6th at the highest seed remaining and the winner will receive the AMCC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.