Bulldogs selected to finish fourth in NEC preseason poll

SOMERSET, N.J. – The Bryant University men's soccer team was selected to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference by the coaches in the league's preseason poll, the NEC office announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bulldogs are ranked behind Saint Francis U, which received five first-place votes, St. Francis Brooklyn, which earned three, and Fairleigh Dickinson. 

Behind Bryant, Long Island ranked fifth with two votes after winning last year's NEC Tournament. Robert Morris, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut and Merrimack followed, completing the 10-team poll. 

The Bulldogs are coming off a trip to the 2018 NEC Championship game where they fell to Long Island 4-0. Bryant ended the season with a 4-2-2 overall record in conference play. 

The team's top scorer from a year ago, sophomore Ben Williams (Unionville, Ontario) is back to lead the offense after securing a spot on the NEC All-Rookie team with four goals and two assists. Joining Williams are a pair of juniors, Charles DeSantis (Saint-Mathias-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec) and Jared Lee (South Setauket, N.Y.) who each slated two goals and one assist from DeSantis. 

The Bulldogs back line returns junior James Cochrane (Sandy Hook, Conn.) who helped the team finish with just 1.38 goals allowed per game, third-best in the NEC. Another key member of last year's defense, senior goalkeeper Olivier Larente (Montreal, Quebec) returns after finishing the 2018 campaign tied for second among conference goalies in shutouts. Larente totaled five shutouts overall and ended with a .756 save percentage, fourth-highest in the NEC.

The 2019 season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30 against UC Riverside in Riverside, Calif. The full 2019 schedule can be viewed HERE. 

To get all the latest information and a behind-the-scenes look at Bryant Men's Soccer follow the program on Twitter and Instagram.

FULL NORTHEAST CONFERENCE POLL

1. Saint Francis U (5)

2. St. Francis Brooklyn (3)

3. Fairleigh Dickinson 

4. Bryant 

5. Long Island (2)

6. Robert Morris

7. Mount St. Mary's

8. Sacred Heart

9. Central Connecticut

10. Merrimack