Men’s Soccer Projected To Earn Runner-Up Finish in AMCC Preseason Poll
Under the new regime of first-year head coach Chris Ralph, the Penn State Behrend men’s soccer team has been selected to finish second in the 2024 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Wednesday.
ERIE, Pa. – Under the new regime of first-year head coach Chris Ralph, the Penn State Behrend men's soccer team has been selected to finish second in the 2024 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Wednesday.
The Lions fell 2-1 in the semifinals of the conference tournament last season against Alfred State and then proceeded to make a run to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship Game, dropping a heartbreaking 2-1 finish in double-overtime to Alvernia.
On the pitch, Behrend returns All-AMCC First Team selection senior midfielder Blake Cooper (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional), along with a handful of All-Conference Second and Third Team honorees from a season ago in senior Johnathan Swann (Allison Park, PA/North Allegheny), sophomore Nate Coleman (Vandergrift, PA/Kiski Area), senior Andrew Cassano (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park), junior Jac Caputo (Pittsburgh, PA/Montour), and junior Brock Kiefer (Eighty-Four, PA/Canon McMillan).
Last season, Cooper ranked third in the AMCC and first on the team with 32 points, eight assists, and four game-winners, while finishing with a team-high 12 goals. Swann was second on the team with eight goals and 19 points, followed by Coleman's two goals and two assists in his first collegiate season. On the backend, Caputo, Cassano, and Kiefer helped the Lions record a plethora of shutouts.
Along with these six players, Behrend welcomes back 16 returners, while bringing in 10 newcomers (eight freshmen/two transfers) to the squad this year.
Mount Aloysius was picked to defend its regular season title, followed by Behrend and the reigning AMCC Champion Alfred State Pioneers rounding out the top three. Cooper and Cassano were named Preseason Players To Watch.
The Lions kickoff the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, hosting the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), Baldwin Wallace, and Lycoming.
2024 AMCC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Mount Aloysius (1)
2. Penn State Behrend (2)
3. Alfred State (3)
4. Pitt-Greensburg (4)
5. Penn State Altoona (5)
6. Hilbert (6)
7. La Roche (T7)
8. Pitt-Bradford (T7)
9. Carlow (9)
*Number in parenthesis is order of regular season finish in 2023