BENNINGTON, Vt. – The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) announced on Tuesday the results of its 2016 men’s soccer preseason poll with the league coaches picking Southern Vermont College to finish seventh in the standings.
The Mountaineers will have a significantly different look to them this year, starting with the touchline that will see first-year head coach Greg Gilmore taking charge of the team. He brings in a wealth of newcomers to the program while welcoming back four players from the 2015 squad.
“Our goal is to compete day-in and day-out,” Gilmore said. “We're young, and we are going to face a tremendous amount of adversity throughout this year. One of the biggest challenges guys will face is recent history; our goal is to return to the NECC playoffs, and that starts with an unwavering belief from our players that we are truly beginning a new era at Southern Vermont Soccer.”
Among those returning for SVC is senior Taylor Baker (Petersburg, N.Y.), a second-year captain who has been a starter in the Mountaineer defense since his freshman season in 2013. Sophomore Nikolas Joseph (Coventry, Conn.) also comes back to don the Mountaineer jersey once again; he scored five goals and had a team-leading six assists last year on his way to being named to the All-NECC Second Team.
Addition returners for Southern Vermont include sophomore Kieran Enright (Perth, Australia) and Matthew Hatch (Sahuarita, Ariz.); Enright had a goal and an assist from the backfield in 2015 while Hatch had a pair of each out of the midfield.
“We need to be mentally tough and expedite the learning curve when transitioning to college-level play,” Gilmore continued. “We have a lot of youth, but we can't afford to act young.”
The Southern Vermont coach is optimistic about his newcomers, expecting the eight fresh faces to make an immediate impact like seasoned players.
“I think for a summer that involved a late coaching change, we've been pretty fortunate to still bring in a considerable amount of talent,” Gilmore noted. “Depth will be an issue, but guys need to understand that while they're going to be challenged-- this is a great opportunity for them to really put their name on the future of this program.
“We have a lot of youth, and with that comes a belief that change is coming,” he added. “If we can respond to adversity as a team, we will be successful. There are going to be times this year where things don't go according to plan and where we make mistakes we shouldn't be making; a lot of this season will be defined by how we respond in those moments. If we respond as a team that's ready to fight for one another, regardless of the situation, then we will be successful this season.”
SVC begins the regular season with its home opener on Thursday, September 1 against the College of St. Joseph (Vt.), kickoff for that match slated for 4 p.m. at Everett Field. The Mountaineers start NECC play September 24 at Daniel Webster College.
Daniel Webster, the two-time defending NECC Champion, was selected to once again claim the regular season title with eight of the nine possible first-place votes in the poll.
2016 NECC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Daniel Webster – 80 (8)
2. Newbury – 61
3. Elms – 59
4. Mitchell – 53
5. Regis – 50
6. Lesley - 47 (1)
7. Southern Vermont – 26
8. Becker – 19
9. Wheelock – 10
(Parentheses denote first-place votes)
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