First and Second Separated by One Vote, LC in Third

SALEM, Va. --- Only one vote separates the top two spots in the 2007 ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll as Roanoke College sits a slim favorite over Virginia Wesleyan College atop the annual coaches' survey.  The Maroons received six first place votes and 88 overall tallies while the Marlins managed 87 total votes including a pair of first place nods.  Lynchburg College, the defending league champion, rounds out the top three with 81 votes and the remaining two top spot considerations.

Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan both made it through to the 2006 NCAA Division III Tournament, the latter school doing so by virtue of an at-large bid.  The Hornets saw its season end in the first round of the competition thanks to a goal in the 98^th minute of play by N.C. Wesleyan.  The Marlins, having defeated Greensboro 5-0 in the first round, also had its season abruptly halted in overtime by N.C. Wesleyan with a goal in the 112^th minute.

Roanoke, last season's ODAC tournament top seed, returns the 2006 ODAC Player of the Year, Eric Eversole.  The senior midfielder led the squad with 19 points on nine goals and three assists.  Despite Eversole's efforts, the Maroons scored a conference-low 24 goals a season ago, but Roanoke's defense proved more than dependable in allowing only 22 goals throughout the schedule.  The numbers were more impressive in conference play as the Maroons surrendered only eight scores in league play while collecting six clean sheets.

Virginia Wesleyan looks to continue its streak of 22 consecutive winnings seasons with another strong performance in 2007, but it will have to do so with a new coach at the helm.  Sonny Travis stepped down after 18 seasons at the reins and has been replaced by longtime assistant, Mike McFarland.  The return of first team All-ODAC selection and 2006 Rookie of the Year, Brandon Massie, should help continue VWC's on-field prowess.  The Marlins attacking midfielder was second on the squad with 17 points on six goals and five assists.  He'll have plenty of help on the front line with the return of senior striker James Monastra and fellow forward, sophomore Clay Price.  Monastra led the Marlins with 18 points on nine goals while Price chipped in 12 points on five goals and two assists.

Lynchburg   returns to the pitch with a squad adept at both scoring and stopping goals.  The Hornets finished third in the conference in points (108) and goals scored (40) while only surrendering 15 tallies throughout the year.  Lynchburg returns a pair of All-ODAC first teamers in senior midfielder Modou Jobarteh and sophomore forward Maurwyn Bowen.  Bowen and Jobarteh finished 1-2 in scoring on the squad with Bowen notching 19 points on eight goals and three assists and Jobarteh adding five goals and two assists for 12 points.

The 2007 campaign kicks off on Friday, August 31.  The ODAC Championship is set for Saturday, November 3 at a site to be determined by the season's outcome.

Listed below is the entire 2007 ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll.  For more information on men's soccer, visit the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com or any of the competing school websites.

2007 ODAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes first place votes