Generals Receive 10 First Place Votes, Roanoke and Randolph Split Remaining Two

FOREST, Va. --- Defending champion Washington and Lee University enters the 2016 campaign as the favorite to lift the conference hardware yet again as the Generals picked up 10 first place votes on the way to 119 total points to lead the ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll. Roanoke College and Randolph College split the remaining two top nods and rounded out the top-three with 104 and 98 points, respectively.

Washington and Lee nearly ran the table during its conference slate on the way to collecting the program's fourth league title. Head coach Mike Singleton, who earned ODAC Coach of the Year honors in just his second season guiding the Generals program, saw his squad rattle off nine straight victories over the final 10 games of the season.  That stretch included a 5-2 triumph over Randolph in the championship game, awarding the Generals a bid into the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.

Tabbed to host a first round contest, W&L took full advantage of the friendly confines of Watt Field with a 3-0 whitewashing of Methodist University via a trio of second-half goals.  The Generals traveled north to Haverford College (Pa.) for its second round opponent.  W&L pushed for a late comeback from a two-goal deficit, but came up short in a 2-1 setback to the Fords.

Whether its W&L holding the trophy at the end of the season or one of the several other programs with their eyes set on glory, the path to the 2016 championship will showcase an abundance of returning talent.  Of the 40 players honored with All-ODAC status last season, 26 return to rosters across the league.  That includes nine from the All-ODAC First Team. Randolph leads the way with ODAC leading scorer Troy Jurney accompanying midfielder Blake Heatherly and centerback Cristian Irigoyen. Both Lynchburg College and W&L feature a pair of first teamers. Hornets' forward Fredy Flores is joined by centerback Nate Berning, while captain Patrick Barry and goalkeeper Gillen Beck spearhead the Generals' defense.  Eastern Mennonite University welcomes back an offensive standout in Juan Luna, and Roanoke benefits from playmaker Fortune Sibanda in the middle of the park.

The 2016 season begins with non-conference play on Thursday, September 1.  The first set of ODAC contests are slated for Saturday, September 24.   If you can't make it to the games, be sure to check the schedules online for live video, audio and statistics links.

Listed below is the 2016 ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll as well as preview capsules for each of the ODAC men's soccer programs.  For more information on ODAC men's soccer, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.

2016 Poll Position: 7th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 8-9-1/5-6-0 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #6/Lost in Quarterfinals (RC, 3-0) Head Coach: Ryan Bennison Overall Record/Yrs: 39-49-1 (.444)/5 Record at BC/Yrs: 39-49-1 (.444)/5 ODAC Record/Yrs: 25-26-3 (.491)/5 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: None (of two)   Third Team: Connor Henderson (F) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 11 - Connor Henderson   Goals: 3 - Connor Henderson   Assists: 4 - Renato Grgic   Saves: 69 - Mark Davis		2016 Poll Position: 5th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 13-5-3/7-1-3 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #2/Lost in Finals (W&L, 5-2) Head Coach: Bryan Waggoner Overall Record/Yrs: 89-65-17 (.606)/9 Record at RAND/Yrs: 89-65-17 (.606)/9 ODAC Record/Yrs: 47-25-12 (.631)/7 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: Blake Heatherly (M), Cristian Irigoyen (D), Troy Jurney (F)   Second Team: Travis Brown (F)   Third Team: None Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 27 - Troy Jurney   Goals: 8 - Blake Heatherly/Troy Jurney   Assists: 11 - Troy Jurney   Saves: None
2016 Poll Position: 9th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 6-12-2/4-5-2 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #8/Lost in Quarterfinals (W&L, 2-0) Head Coach: Roger Mast Overall Record/Yrs: 221-222-39 (.499)/25 Record at EMU/Yrs: 221-222-39 (.499)/25 ODAC Record/Yrs: 100-113-20 (.472)/25 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: Juan Luna (F)   Second Team: Emmanuel Boamoah (D)   Third Team: None Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 15 - Juan Luna   Goals: 5 - Juan Luna   Assists: 5 - Juan Luna   Saves: 50 - Matthew Overacker		2016 Poll Position: 8th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 9-10-0/5-6-0 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #7/Lost in Quarterfinals (RAND, 3-0) Head Coach: Josh Laux Overall Record/Yrs: 113-89-20 (.554)/12 Record at RMC/Yrs: 9-10-0 (.455)/1 ODAC Record/Yrs: 60-41-10 (.586)/12 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: Jack Maxey (D), Logan McHugh (M)   Third Team: Bryan Lutz (F) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 14 - Logan McHugh   Goals: 3 - Bryan Lutz/Jack Maxey/Logan McHugh/Tyler Slayton   Assists: 8 - Logan McHugh   Saves: 74 - Brian Breslin
2016 Poll Position: 12th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 4-10-3/2-7-2 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: Did not qualify Head Coach: Robert Richardson Overall Record/Yrs: 9-39-4 (.212)/3 Record at E&H/Yrs: 9-39-4 (.212)/3 ODAC Record/Yrs: 4-27-2 (.152)/3 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: Jordan Couch (F)   Third Team: Tyequis Stallins (F) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 16 - Jordan Couch   Goals: 6 - Jordan Couch   Assists: 4 - Jordan Couch   Saves: 96 - Didier Grillet		2016 Poll Position: 1st 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 12-7-1/7-3-1 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #3/Lost in Semifinals (RAND, 2-1 2OT) Head Coach: Ryan Pflugrad Overall Record/Yrs: 36-17-5 (.664)/3 Record at RC/Yrs.: 36-17-5 (.664)/3 ODAC Record/Yrs: 22-7-3 (.734)/3 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: Fortune Sibanda (M)   Second Team: Sam Rauf (D)   Third Team: Tim Mahabir (D) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 11 - Cole Thornton   Goals: 5 - Cole Thornton   Assists: 4 - Orestis Ilia   Saves: None
2016 Poll Position: 10th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 5-11-1/2-8-1 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: Did not qualify Head Coach: Cory Speed Overall Record/Yrs: First Season Record at GC/Yrs: First Season ODAC Record/Yrs: First Season Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 6 - Mark Dandanell/Omar Solis/Christian Torres   Goals: 3 - Mark Dandanell/Christian Torres   Assists: 2 - Omar Solis   Saves: 91 - Eric Hayes		2016 Poll Position: 11th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 5-10-2/2-7-2 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: Did not qualify Head Coach: Corbin Sutton Overall Record/Yrs: 15-64-7 (.215)/5 Record at SU/Yrs: 15-64-7 (.215)/5 ODAC Record/Yrs: 5-35-4 (.159)/4 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None (of one) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 8 - Nick Seymour   Goals: 3 - Nick Seymour   Assists: 3 - Tylor Strozeski   Saves: 48 - Keegan Fairchild
2016 Poll Position: 6th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 7-10-0/2-9-0 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: Did not qualify Head Coach: Ian McMichael Overall Record/Yrs: 7-10-0 (.412)/1 Record at HSC/Yrs: 7-10-0 (.412)/1 ODAC Record/Yrs: 2-9-0 (.182)/1 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None (of one) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 15 - Robert Kerby   Goals: 7 - Robert Kerby   Assists: 5 - Ryan Turner   Saves: 71 - Cameron McFarlane		2016 Poll Position: 3rd 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 9-6-3/5-3-3 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #5/Lost in Semifinals (W&L, 4-2) Head Coach: Chris Mills Overall Record/Yrs: 36-15-8 (.678)/3 Record at VWC/Yrs: 36-15-8 (.678)/3 ODAC Record/Yrs: 21-7-5 (.712)/3 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: None   Second Team: Ricky Perrault (F - ROY)   Third Team: Andrew Freeman (D) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 14 - Ricky Perrault   Goals: 7 - Ricky Perrault   Assists: 2 - Tanner Korfhagen/Alex Suprise   Saves: 2 - Jay Fox
2016 Poll Position: 2nd 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 10-4-4/6-2-3 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #4/Lost in Quarterfinals (VWC, 2-1 OT) Head Coach: Chris Yeager Overall Record/Yrs: 151-95-31 (.597)/14 Record at LC: 151-95-31 (.597)/14 ODAC Record/Yrs: 75-40-23 (.627)/14 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: Nate Berning (D), Fredy Flores (F)   Second Team: None (of one)   Third Team: Cory Budka (GK), Ben Grossfuss (F) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 18 - Fredy Flores   Goals: 7 - Fredy Flores   Assists: 5 - Thomas Salamone   Saves: 64 - Cory Budka		2016 Poll Position: 4th 2015 Records - Overall/ODAC: 16-4-2/10-0-1 2015 Tournament - Seed/Result: #1/Champion (def. RAND, 5-2) 2015 NCAA Tournament: def. Methodist (3-0) in 1st Round; lost to Haverford (2-1) in 2nd Round Head Coach: Mike Singleton Overall Record/Yrs: 62-27-8 (.680)/5 Record at W&L/Yrs: 27-9-4 (.725)/2 ODAC Record/Yrs: 16-4-2 (.773)/2 Returning All-ODAC Players   First Team: Patrick Barry (D), Gillen Beck (GK)   Second Team: Will Hamryka (M), Dylan Ritch (F)   Third Team: Nathan Gibson (D) Top Returning Statistical Leaders   Points: 16 - Will Hamryka   Goals: 6 - Will Hamryka   Assists: 4 - Patrick Barry/Will Hamryka   Saves: 64 - Gillen Beck