ECC Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll Released; District of Columbia Picked 7th
*Courtesy of ECC Media Relations
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – The LIU Post men's soccer team has been picked as the favorite to capture the ECC Championship in 2012 as voted upon by the league's coaches. Junior forward Cemil Turan (Staten Island, N.Y.) from LIU Post was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and junior defender, Clayton Ulmer (Hamden, Conn.) from the University of Bridgeport was voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Coming off a program record 17 wins in 2011, LIU Post claimed seven first place votes and tallied 96 points to take the top spot in the poll. The Pioneers finished with a 6-0-1 record in conference play a season ago to capture the ECC Regular Season Championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. LIU Post also begins the 2012 slate ranked as the No. 13 team in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national poll.
Defending ECC Champion, New York Institute of Technology, was the runner up in the poll with 85 points and two first place votes. Bridgeport rounds out the top three with 70 points.
St. Thomas Aquinas, a 2011 NCAA Tournament participant and currently ranked No. 21 in the NSCAA Preseason Poll, grabbed the final first place vote.
Turan was an offensive force for the Pioneers in 2011, scoring 14 goals and passing off 4 helpers for 32 points. He also tallied seven game winning goals, helping him take home the ECC Offensive Player of the Year Award. Turan earned numerous other awards for his play in 2011, including being named a Third Team All-American by the NSCAA.
Ulmer was a mainstay on the Purple Knights back line that allowed only 1.42 goals per game. His outstanding play helped him earn the ECC Defensive Player of the Year award as well as a spot on the Daktronics All-America Second Team.
2012 ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
School Pts. 2010 Record
1. LIU Post (7) 96 17-3-1
2. NYIT (2) 85 14-4-2
3. Bridgeport 70 9-7-1
4. Dowling 66 6-7-3
5. St. Thomas Aquinas (1) 65 11-4-4
6. Queens 51 7-8-4
7. District of Columbia 36 8-5-4
8. Molloy 33 2-14-1
9. Mercy 32 6-10-1
10. Roberts Wesleyan 16 11-10-1
( ) – first place votes
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About the ECC
Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: University of Bridgeport (Conn.); Daemen College (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); Dowling College (Oakdale, N.Y.); LIU Post (Brookville, N.Y.); Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy College (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). Associate Members include: Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Dominican College (Orangeburg, N.Y.).
The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men's and women's basketball; men's and women's cross country; men's and women's lacrosse; softball; men's and women's tennis; men's and women's soccer; and women's volleyball.
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.