BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After helping the Boston University men's soccer team shut out its most opponents in eight years last fall, seniors Francesco Montali and Griffin Roach have been selected to repeat as Patriot League Goalkeeper and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, as announced by the conference office Wednesday morning. Graduate student midfielder Colin Innes joined the duo on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, giving the Terriers a league-tying three student-athletes on the 11-member squad.

BU, who reached the PL semifinals for the first time in five years, was picked second in the preseason poll with 130 points and three first-place votes. Defending PL tournament champion Navy placed first at 134 points thanks to eight first-place votes, while American took third with 129 points and five first-place votes. Colgate (107) and Loyola Maryland (107) tied for fourth, as defending PL regular season champion Army West Point placed sixth despite collecting four first-place votes. Lafayette (75), Lehigh (52), Bucknell (37) and Holy Cross (22) rounded out the poll.

Last August, the Terriers were picked eighth by the coaches and sports information directors but would quickly show the prediction was off the mark, as they stunned then-No. 9 New Hampshire, 1-0, and blanked Boston College for the first time in a decade during non-conference play. BU went 4-2-3 in league play to grab the No. 2 slot in the standings at 15 points for its best showing since 2017. Now this fall, the Terriers will enter the latest campaign with its highest preseason ranking and most Preseason All-PL honorees since grabbing second and four awards in 2016.

Recipient of BU's first PL Goalkeeper of the Year award since 2015, Montali started all 16 games played last fall, finishing the year ranked fourth nationally at .839 save percentage, seventh in goals against average (.620) and 10th with eight solo shutouts. He collected a season-high seven saves against Boston College and tallied five stops at UNH while also helping the Terriers defend against 18 corner kicks during the upset victory over the Wildcats. The Davie, Florida, native, also earned clean sheets against Merrimack, Lafayette, Bucknell, Loyola Maryland, American and Navy alongside a combined shutout vs. Lehigh.

Roach was named an All-Region Third Team and Scholar All-American after anchoring a backline that earned nine shutouts. He scored his first career collegiate goal with a header off a free kick in the 2-0 win against Bucknell and followed up on his sliding team save against Holy Cross with a long pass that set up the game's first goal. The Canton, Massachusetts, native became the first player in PL history to earn three straight Defensive Player of the Week honors en route to earning Defensive Player of the Year recognition.

A fellow All-Region Third Team member, Innes ended the 2022 season tied-for-first on the team with four goals and second in points at nine total. The Olathe, Kansas, native tallied back-to-back goals against Merrimack and UMass before striking again against Army to end the month of September. Focusing more of his energy on helping direct traffic, he later scored the game winner against Bucknell and tallied his first assist of the year in the win over Lehigh.

The Terriers will open the 75th season and home schedule at Nickerson Field on Thursday, Aug. 24, against former America East rival Albany. First touch is set for 7 p.m.

2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Robbie Matei, American, Sr., F
2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Midfielder of the Year: David Jackson, Navy, Sr., M
2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Griffin Roach, Boston University, Sr., D
2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year: Francesco Montali, Boston University, Sr., GK

2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason All-League Team
Robbie Matei, American, Sr., F
Evan Jones, Holy Cross, Jr., F
Hale Lombard, Lafayette, Sr., F
Baba Kallie, Navy, Sr., F
Cooper Warren, Army West Point, Sr., M
Colin Innes, Boston University, Gr., M
David Jackson, Navy, Sr., M
Nick Atkinson, Army West Point, Sr., D
Griffin Roach, Boston University, Sr., D
Zach Wagner, Navy, Sr., D
Francesco Montali, Boston University, Sr., GK

2023 Patriot League Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
Navy – 134 (8 first-place votes)
Boston University – 130 (3)
American – 129 (5)
Colgate – 107
Loyola Maryland – 107
Army West Point – 106 (4)
Lafayette – 75
Lehigh– 52
Bucknell – 37
Holy Cross – 22