WAUKESHA
Dominican
University, winner of the last three Northern Athletics Conference
titles, has been chosen to win the 2009 NAC men's soccer
championship, according to the preseason coaches' poll.
Dominican received 11 of the 12 first place votes for 143
poll points.
The Stars are ranked No. 19 in the National Soccer Coaches
Association of America/adidas Division III preseason poll, and have
posted seven consecutive bids to the NCAA Division III men's soccer
championship tournament. Dominican (19-3-1, 11-0 NAC) reached the
second round of the national championship tournament last season,
defeating Rose-Hulman Institute 3-1 in the first round, before
falling to Loras College 1-0 in the second round.
Dominican has amassed a 29-0-1 record in the first three
seasons of the NAC, and won all three conference
tournaments.
Concordia University Wisconsin was picked second in the
poll with 123 points. The Falcons finished second in the conference
standings last season with a 8-2-1 mark, 12-7-1 overall.
Aurora University (14-8-1, 7-3-1 NAC) was tabbed third with
118 points and the remaining first place vote. The Spartans claim
the only blemish on Dominican's near perfect conference record with
a 1-1 tie in 2007.
Edgewood College (10-9-1, 7-3-1) was picked fourth with 107
points, and MSOE (11-5-2, 7-3-1) was fifth with 88 points. The
Eagles and Raiders tied with Aurora for third in the NAC standings
last season.
Lakeland College was chosen sixth with 80 points, right
where they finished in 2008 with a 6-3-2 conference mark, 8-7-2
overall. Marian University (7-10-1, 5-5-1) and
Wisconsin Lutheran College (6-10, 4-7) each received 68 points in
the poll for a seventh place finish.
Benedictine University (6-11-1, 3-7-1) was picked ninth,
while Maranatha Baptist Bible College (11-12, 2-9), Concordia
University Chicago (1-18, 1-10) and Rockford College
(1-13, 1-10) rounded out the final three spots.
The NAC tournament champion receives the conference's automatic
bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
