Aug. 30, 2010

EASTON, Pa. - Fresh off of an eighth consecutive appearance in the Patriot League Tournament, the Lafayette men's soccer team has been grouped among the league elite once again in the 2010 Patriot League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Leopards have been chosen for a third-place finish while garnering one of the 16 available first-place votes. Defending champion Bucknell has been voted to repeat as the class of the Patriot League by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

While the Bison grabbed a majority of the first-place votes with 14 alongside their 98 total points, the remainder of the poll can be defined by its parity. Lehigh took one first-place vote and 68 total points, slotting the Mountain Hawks in the second position with just three more points than Lafayette. The Leopards' 65 points rank them only two points ahead of both American and Colgate, who tied for fourth place in the poll. Holy Cross (41 points), Navy (35) and Army (15) round out the preseason tally.

For Lafayette, third place would trump last season's fourth-place finish that saw the Leopards' campaign end in the Patriot League Tournament Semifinals against the eventual champion Bison.

Also in the poll, Kyle Miller of Holy Cross was tabbed as Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Colgate's Jeff Leach got the nod as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Lafayette opens its 2010 season on Wednesday with a 5 p.m. contest at Rider. Bourger Field sees its first action of the fall on Sept. 3 and 5 for the Lafayette Puma Classic. The host Leopards will take the pitch against Stony Brook on Friday at 5 p.m. and against the Owls of Temple on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Patriot League play begins against Holy Cross on Sept. 25 in Easton.