RICHMOND, Ind. — The
Earlham College men’s soccer team was picked to finish third as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference announced the results of the preseason coach’s poll on Thursday.
Defending HCAC Tournament champ Transylvania University was in the top spot, while the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology was second as the Engineers look for a third straight regular season crown.
Individually, the Quakers also had four members of their squad make the HCAC Players to Watch list. Seniors
Bannet Asingura ,
Jeremy Pillow and
Jonah Kreniske along with junior
Nick Costello were all honored.
Asingura was All-North Coast Athletic Conference First Team in 2009, after finishing third in the league with 11 goals. He also had three assists on the season, which allowed him to finish third in points per game at 1.47. For his efforts, Asingura was Earlham’s Offensive Most Valuable Player for the third consecutive fall.
Pillow, who is one of Earlham’s top defenders, had a pair of assists last season.
Kreniske started 16-of-18 matches in goal for the Quakers. He had 60 saves and a 1.63 goals against average.
Costello was Earlham’s second-leading goal producer last year with seven, including three game-winning scores. He was All-NCAC Honorable Mention.
Earlham ended the season at 7-8-3 overall and 2-6-1 in the NCAC. Against HCAC opponents the Quakers were 3-1 in 2009. Earlham lost 1-0 to Rose-Hulman, but defeated
Hanover College (1-0),
Anderson University (4-1) and
Manchester College (4-1).
The Quakers open the 2010 season at home against
Thomas More College on Sept. 1. The first HCAC match is also on Matlack Field against Anderson on Oct. 2.
HCAC Release