Garnet First in 2009 Centennial Conference Soccer Preseason Poll
LANCASTER, Pa. - Coming off its first Centennial Conference championship in program history, the No. 13 Swarthmore men's soccer team has been picked to defend the title in 2009.
In a vote by the conference's head coaches, the Garnet are tabbed to finish first in the Conference, receiving four first-place votes and a total of 72 points. The Garnet edged out 2008 Centennial Conference runners-up Johns Hopkins, who was picked to finish second with four first place votes and a total of 70 points.
Dickinson is picked to finish third with 64 points while receiving one first place vote. Gettysburg was tabbed fourth, picking up one first-place vote and a total of 59 points Muhlenberg rounds out the top five with 54 points.
Under the direction of eighth-year head coach Eric Wagner, the 2009 Garnet return several key performers from last year’s squad, including All-Centennial Conference performers Dylan and Morgan Langley. Last season, the Garnet captured the program’s first Centennial Conference championship, advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship after making the program's first appearance in the tournament since 1991 and set program records for Conference victories (8) and longest unbeaten streak (13).
The Garnet open the season on Wednesday, September 2, with a non-conference match at Penn State-Abington. The team will then return home to host the 12th Annual Garnet Alumni Classic the weekend of September 5-6