Men’s Soccer ranked eighth in AMCC Coaches’ Preseason Poll
NORTH BOSTON, N.Y. --- Carlow University men's soccer placed eighth of 10 teams in its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) preseason poll, the league announced Aug. 21.
This year is Carlow's inaugural season as members of the AMCC, with the Celtics finishing last year 3-14-1 overall and 1-8 in the River States Conference.
AMCC coaches voted on rankings and selected preseason player of the year awards.
Heading into his third season leading the team, Head Coach Allen Duda nominated goalkeeper Kevin Garcia and defender Mason Kovach as players to watch.
Last season, Garcia was named to the All-RSC honorable mention team and broke Carlow's single-season saves record to lead the NAIA and the conference with 166 on the year.
Garcia and forward Sudesh Tiwari also earned USCAA All-American second team honors last season. Tiwari led Carlow with three assists and also tallied one goal on the year.
Hear more from Head Coach Duda, Garcia, Kovach and Tiwari in the season preview with Sean Meyers of the Carlow Sports Network.
The Penn State Behrend men's soccer team was selected by league coaches to finish at the top of the standings in 2023. The Lions will be looking for their first conference title since 2019. Defending back-to-back champion Mount Aloysius College is expected to finish in second place, with Pitt-Greensburg rounding out the top three.
Penn State Behrend junior forward Blake Cooper was named the AMCC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Cooper was an AMCC first team all-conference selection a year ago. He ranked second in the AMCC in points (26) and fourth in goals (10).
Behrend senior goalkeeper Sam York was tabbed as the AMCC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. York was named the 2022 AMCC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also an AMCC all-conference first team selection, and was named to the United Soccer Coaches all-region team. York was tied for second in shutouts (13) and fifth in goals-against average (.45) on the final NCAA men's soccer statistics last season. He tallied 13 shutouts in 22 games and only allowed 10 goals for a .855 save percentage.
The AMCC Championship will be held Nov. 4 at the site of the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
