Men's Soccer Ranked Third In Coaches' Pre-Season Poll
August 17, 2004 | Men's Soccer
BOSTON - The Boston University men's soccer team was picked to finish third in America East, according to a pre-season poll conducted by the conference's head coaches.
Defending league champion Binghamton University was the pre-season favorite to win the conference, earning 75 points and six of a possible nine first-place votes. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team. UMBC, the 2003 regular-season champion, was picked to finish second with 72 points and three first-place votes.
The Terriers followed in third with 65 points, earning the final first-place vote. Cross-town rival Northeastern trailed in fourth with 57 points, while Hartford was in fifth with 55 points. Stony Brook (36), New Hampshire (25), Maine (24), Albany (22), and Vermont (19) rounded out the field of 10 teams.
The Terriers return seven starters and 11 letterwinners from the 2003 squad that finished with a 9-8-3 overall record and a 4-2-3 mark in league play. Among the Terrier returners are co-captains Brian Conway and Federico Bianchi, First Team All-Conference selection Sedrick Chin, and 2003 All-Rookie team member Zach Kirby.
Entering his 20th season at the helm, B.U. head coach Neil Roberts has compiled an unprecedented streak of 19 consecutive winning seasons, which have included 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament and six America East titles. The Terriers' last conference title came in the 1997 season.
B.U. opens its 2004 regular season at defending NCAA Champion Indiana in the first round of the Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic on Friday, Sept. 3, at 7:00 p.m.
