Virginia Wesleyan Headlines ODAC Men’s Soccer Poll

Roanoke, Hampden-Sydney Complete Top Three

August 27, 2008

SALEM, Va. --- Each of the top three teams in the 2008 ODAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll received multiple first place votes from the league’s coaches.  Virginia Wesleyan College topped the annual survey with 112 total poll points and five top selections.  Roanoke College, the 2007 ODAC Tournament champion, garnered 106 points and three high marks while Hampden-Sydney College sits in third with 101 points and the remaining trio of first place votes.

Virginia Wesleyan sat atop the 2007 ODAC standings going into the conference’s postseason tournament, but the Marlins exited the event early at the hands of eventual tourney champion, fourth seed Roanoke.  The Maroons topped Washington and Lee University, 2-0, in the conference championship to pave its way to the NCAA tournament.  The Marlins also earned a trip to the Division III postseason by virtue of an at-large bid.  The two squads flipped fortunes in NCAA play with Roanoke falling in its first round matchup with Greensboro, 2-1.  Virginia Wesleyan knocked off Muhlenberg, 3-2, in its opening round contest, and followed that with a 0-0 draw against Salisbury.  The Marlins advanced to the Round of 16 by winning the penalty kick shootout, 4-2.  The University of Redlands stopped VWC the next weekend, defeating the Marlins, 3-1.

Virginia Wesleyan (17-4-1 overall, 7-2-0 ODAC in 2007) put three Marlins on the All-ODAC teams with first team standout and Player of the Year, Brandon Massie, the lone returner.  The junior striker led the ODAC in all three major offensive categories, notching 45 points on 18 goals and nine assists.  Eight of his tallies decided the outcome for a Marlins victory.  Along with Massie, VWC welcomes back four of its top six scorers.  Sophomore midfielder Adam Beck was third on the team with 15 points (5 goals, 5 asst.) while junior Clay Price and sophomore Harrison Myrdal each notched 10 points.

Roanoke (12-8-1, 6-3-0) was second only to Virginia Wesleyan in goals scored a season ago (56-to-45).  The Maroons must replace the production of three-time All-ODAC first team choice, 2007 leading scorer and former league top player, Eric Eversole.  To do that, Roanoke welcomes back four double-digit point scorers in seniors Shaman Douglass (7 goals, 1 asst.) and Michael Rouhana (3 goals, 6 asst.) and juniors Kayvon Sarmadi (6 goals) and Taylor Johnston (3 goals, 4 asst.).  The Maroons back third is controlled by defensive midfielder Nate Wilson, a first team selection last season.

Hampden-Sydney (11-6-3, 6-1-2) jumped three spots from the preseason predictions to earn the second seed going into the 2007 ODAC tournament.  Reigning ODAC Coach of the Year, Josh Laux, welcomes back several standouts including last year’s top rookie, goalkeeper John Robert Plyler.  The Charlotte, N.C., native boasted a 0.96 goals against average in his first season in front of the Tigers’ net.  H-SC also returns its top two scorers from last season in first team midfielder Jason Butler (5 goals, 7 asst.) and second team forward Jason Powell (7 goals, 3 asst.)

The 2008 campaign kicks off on Friday, August 29.  The ODAC Championship is set for Saturday, November 8 at a site to be determined by the season’s outcome.

Listed below is the 2008 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 school websites.

2008 ODAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll

(#) Denotes first place votes