NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The Eastern Connecticut State University and Keene State College men's soccer teams share the top ranking in the 2008 Little East Conference preseason coaches' poll after a vote by the conference's eight head coaches. The Warriors are making their debut atop the preseason standings, while the Owls have earned at least a share of the top billing in eight of the past nine rankings.

The top-two projected teams in the Little East Conference will meet at Keene State on Oct. 4 at 1 p.m.  

Under the leadership of Head Coach Greg DeVito, Eastern Connecticut firmly placed itself on the national landscape last fall, turning in the program's best campaign in over 15 years. The 2007 Warriors reached double digits in victories for the first time since 1992, captured the program's first Little East Conference Championship Tournament and berth into the NCAA Div. III Tournament field. DeVito led his charges to an overall record of 11-7-3, including a conference best 5-1-1 mark in league play. Eastern Connecticut will welcome back an experienced squad that features 12 letterman and nine starters. Striker Maxim Fantl (West Hartford, Conn.), a 2007 NSCAA All-New England third-team pick, will lead the charge in the attacking third of the field, scoring 22 points on nine goals and four assists during his sophomore campaign. The Warriors kick off the program's 48th season at Westfield State College on Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Keene State qualified for the NCAA Div. III Tournament for the ninth time in the past 11 campaigns in 2007, advancing to the second round for the second straight season. Head Coach Dr. Ron Butcher continued his impressive run of 11 consecutive 10-plus win seasons, guiding the Owls to an overall record of 12-5-5. Butcher will welcome back five starters from last fall, including first-team all-conference selection Alex Horne (Harvard, Mass.). The third-team NSCAA All-New England pick shared the conference lead in game-winning goals (5), while ranking second in points (23) and goals (10). Three nationally-ranked clubs in the NSCAA preseason poll highlight Keene State's schedule, No. 22 Salisbury (Aug. 31), No. 19 Williams (Sept. 30), and No. 1 Middlebury (Oct. 28).  

Head Coach Mike Keller led the University of Southern Maine to the program's second postseason invitation in the past four seasons, receiving a bid to the 2007 Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Div. III Tournament. The Huskies registered their third season in the past four years with at least 10 victories, sporting a 10-9-1 overall record. Keller will once again look for the senior tandem of striker Sinisa Bajic (Belgrade, Serbia) and midfielder Greg Cox (Brookline, Mass.) to shoulder the load offensively. In 2007, the NSCAA All-Region honorees combined for 41 points, recording 17 markers and seven helpers. Bajic was selected the conference's top offensive player for the second straight season, while Cox joined his classmate on the first-team. Southern Maine will square off against Colby-Sawyer College at the Babson College Classic in the 2008 opener on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m.   

The top five teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the 2008 Little East Conference Championship Tournament with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receiving a bye and the right to host a semifinal contest on Wednesday, Nov. 5. For the first time in the conference's history, the No. 5 seed will travel to the fourth seed on Monday, Nov. 3 for a first round match with the winner advancing to face the top seed in the semifinals. The conference champion will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 8 and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament as the Little East Conference's automatic qualifier.  

Completing the preseason poll in projected order of finish are Rhode Island College (37), Plymouth State University (32), University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (22), Western Connecticut State University (22), and University of Massachusetts Boston (19).  


2008 Little East Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll