Whitworth Picked to Repeat in 2008
| NWC Men's Soccer Coaches' Pre-Season Poll:
| 2007 records
|
| School
| (1st)
| Pts.
| All
| NWC
|
| 1. Whitworth (Wash.)
| (5)
| 65
| 15-4-1
| 12-2
|
| 2. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)
| (2)
| 56
| 13-6-1
| 11-2-1
|
| 3. Puget Sound (Wash.)
|
| 48
| 15-3-1
| 10-3-1
|
| 4. Whitman (Wash)
| (1)
| 43
| 10-9-1
| 6-7-1
|
| 5. Pacific (Ore.)
|
| 31
| 8-7-2
| 6-6-2
|
| 6. Linfield (Ore.)
|
| 27
| 9-8-1
| 5-8-1
|
| 7. George Fox (Ore.)
|
| 13
| 3-13-3
| 1-10-3
|
| 8. Willamette (Ore.)
|
| 11
| 2-15-2
| 0-13-1
|
(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on
9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis).
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Defending champion Whitworth
University, winner of three of the last four Northwest Conference
men's soccer championships, has been picked by conference coaches
to repeat in 2008 according to the preseason poll of head coaches.
Whitworth picked up five first place votes and 65
total points in the poll to come out ahead of Pacific Lutheran
University. PLU had two first place votes and 56 points. Whitman
College, fourth in the poll, picked up the final first place vote.
The Pirates, who finished 15-4-1 overall and
advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament
last season, will try to defend their title without four graduates
who earned All-NWC honors last season. Ben Rotert and Bryan Olson
will anchor a strong Whitworth defense in 2008.
PLU will be aiming to claim its first conference
title since 1992. But the Lutes will have to go on without 2007 NWC
Offensive Player of the Year Michael Ferguson and 2007 NWC
Defensive Player of the Year Brian Lubeck, who have both graduated.
Sophomore keeper Daniel Mangum and junior defender Derek MacLean,
both returning Second Team All-NWC honorees, will lead a strong
defense.
The University of Puget Sound, league champions in
2006, is third in the poll with 48 points. The Loggers will be
without five starters who earned either First or Second Team
All-NWC last season, but UPS will have senior defender Taylor Hyde
leading its traditionally strong back line.
Whitman is fourth in the poll with 43 points. The
Missionaries return First Team All-NWC midfielder Stephen Phillips
and Brett Axelrod, a Second Team All-NWC keeper.
Pacific University returns 10 starters, led by
senior forward Danny Williams, and hopes to contend for its first
NWC title since 1996. The Boxers were fifth in the poll with 31
points.
Linfield College was right behind Pacific with 27
points. Junior Travis Isaacs and sophomore Michael Camacho, a pair
of talented midfielders, will direct the Wildcats' attack.
George Fox University (13 points) is seventh place
in the poll, while Willamette University (11 points) is eighth.
Sophomore Justin Meyer will lead the Bruins and the Bearcats will
be aiming to finish above eighth place for the first time in three
seasons.
The season gets underway on August 29th.