Pioneers Predicted 10th in AMCC
The Alfred State men's soccer team has been predicted to finish 10th in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference preseason poll. The poll was voted on by each of the 11 coaches in the conference.
Defending champion, Penn State Behrend, has been selected to once again defend their crown. 2018 runner-up Medaille College is again expected to finish in second, while coaches are once again looking for Mount Aloysius College to fill in the third spot in the standings.
Alfred State is competing in the AMCC for the first year and will be led by new head coach Gabe Kuhn. The team features a dozen returners from last year's team that was 5-10-2. Chris Balys (Holley), a 1st team All-ACAA selection, leads the returners. He led the defensive efforts last year in front of Nico Coria (Honeoye Falls Lima). Coria was in net for all five victories last year and recorded 78 saves.
Complete AMCC Preseason Poll
1. Penn State Behrend (1)
2. Medaille College (2)
3. Mount Aloysius College (3)
4. Franciscan University (4)
5. La Roche University (T5)
6. D'Youville College (T5)
7. Penn State Altoona (T7)
8. Pitt-Bradford (T7)
9. Pitt-Greensburg (9)
10. Alfred State College ^
11. Hilbert College (10)
*Number in parenthesis is order of regular season finish in 2018
^ 2019 is Alfred State's first season in the AMCC
Medaille senior midfielder Mitchell Ali is the AMCC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Penn St. Behrend senior defender Andrew Mastovich has been named the AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Alfred State opens up the season this weekend with a pair of matches. They travel to Elmira on Friday (4 p.m.) and host Wells on Sunday (2 p.m.).
The AMCC Championship will be held November 9 at the site of the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
