SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Men's Soccer team has been selected to finish third in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, according to the CCC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Voting was completed last week by the league's nine men's soccer head coaches.
 
Endicott earned 75 points and six of the possible nine first place votes to take the top spot in the 2019 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
The Gulls went undefeated in conference play last year, compiling a 6-0-2 record (10-6-2 overall) and earned a bye in the opening round of the CCC Tournament. However, their try at a CCC Tournament title repeat was denied with an overtime loss to Roger Williams in the CCC Semifinals.
 
Instead it was Gordon that claimed the CCC Tournament crown. The reigning CCC Tournament Champion Fighting Scots placed second in this year's coaches' poll, earning 72 points and two first place votes. They were the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament after putting together a 5-2-1 (12-6-2 overall) campaign. They knocked off the fifth-seeded Hawks in the title match, 1-0, in overtime to earn their first league title since 2015 and the league's NCAA automatic qualifier.
 
The 2018 CCC Tournament runner-up Hawks earned 56 points and the final first place vote to claim the third spot in the poll. Following close behind was Salve Regina, which earned a share of the regular-season title last season, with 54 points in the voting. Western New England finished off the top half of the ledger in fifth place with 51 points.
 
Nichols and the University of New England each earned 28 points in this year's voting, tying for the sixth spot. Meanwhile, Wentworth and Curry closed out the ledger with 27 and 14 points, respectively.
 
The Roger Williams men's soccer team enjoyed one of its best years in recent memory last season. The team posted a 16-5-0 record, notching the most wins in five seasons while putting together a 12-game win streak over the course of the year. In addition, the Hawks finished as runner-up in the CCC Tournament Championship, while ending the year ranked seventh in New England and putting four members on the All-CCC Team. This year, James Greenslit enters his fifth year as head coach and looks to break through with a CCC title after coming close last season. The team will be heavy with veterans with 22 upperclassmen on the team, including senior Edmund Geschickter (Brookline, Mass.), a three-time All-CCC goalkeeper.
 
The men's soccer schedule gets kicks on Friday, Aug. 30 with all nine CCC teams kicking off their non-conference schedules. The first CCC play date is Saturday, Sept. 21. The top seven teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular-season will compete for the CCC Tournament Championship starting with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Nov. 2. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 5 for a chance to play for the CCC Tournament Championship on Saturday, Nov. 9. The CCC Tournament Champion will earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
 
 
2019 CCC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
 

	Team	Points (First Place Votes)
1.	Endicott	75 (6)
2.	Gordon	72 (2)
3.	Roger Williams	56 (1)
4.	Salve Regina	54
5.	Western New England	51
T-6.	Nichols	28
T-6.	University of New England	28
8.	Wentworth	27
9.	Curry	14

 
 
- Release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference