QU Men's Soccer Tabbed As Preseason MAAC Favorite, Five Bobcats Named Preseason All-MAAC
8/15/2017 7:47:00 PM | Men's Soccer
HAMDEN, Conn. - The defending MAAC regular season champion Quinnipiac men's soccer team was picked to win the league in 2017 in a vote of the conference's coaches, it was announced this evening during the MAAC Preseason Soccer Show.
In addition, the Bobcats had a league-high five players chosen to the Preseason All-MAAC team, four of whom are sophomores. Fifth-year senior midfielder James Doig (Liverpool, England) was the lone Quinnipiac upperclassman named Preseason All-MAAC, and was joined by sophomore forward Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Conn.), sophomore center backs Jeppe Haehre (Baerums Verk, Norway) and Conor McCoy (Newry, Northern Ireland) and sophomore goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece).
Quinnipiac received 113 points and seven out of a possible 11 first-place votes in the preseason poll, edging out Rider (110 points, three first-place votes),. Monmouth (95 points) was picked third while Siena (88 points, one first-place vote) was chosen fourth. Fairfield (63), Canisius (61) and Marist (60) were clustered together in the five through seven spots, while Iona, Manhattan, Niagara and Saint Peter's rounded out the poll.
Quinnipiac won the MAAC regular season title last year with an 8-2 league record, rattling off seven straight wins after dropping its opening MAAC game in overtime. A 1-0 win over Fairfield in the regular season finale secured the first-place finish, the fourth time in the last five years that the Bobcats have finished first in their league. Quinnipiac has won three of the four regular season MAAC crowns since joining the league (2013, 2014, 2016) after also winning the regular season title in its final season in the Northeast Conference (2012).
Doig was a second-team All-MAAC selection last year after missing his junior season with an injury and taking a medical redshirt. He finished the year with three goals and four assists for 10 points, scoring in back-to-back MAAC wins over Iona and Monmouth. He was also a first-team All-MAAC selection in 2014, when he led the Bobcats with six assists, and was a MAAC All-Rookie team pick as a freshman in 2013. Doig has been a part of three MAAC regular season titles in his three active seasons with the Bobcats.
Whelan had a big impact last year as a freshman, winning the MAAC Rookie of the Year Award. He was also a first-team All-MAAC honors, after tallying a team-high 11 goals, which ranked second in the MAAC, while tying for the league lead with four game-winning goals. In addition to his conference accolades, he was a third-team All-Northeast Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Freshmen list.
McCoy and Haehre also had major impacts on Quinnipiac's success in their freshman seasons, stepping in at the two center back positions and solidifying a Bobcat defense that had graduated all four starters off the 2015 team. McCoy added three goals on the season, including one in the MAAC Championship game against Rider, and was a first-team All-MAAC selection. Haehre joined McCoy on the All-MAAC first team, and also joined Whelan on the NSCAA All-Region third team and the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Freshmen.
Iakovidis, a former member of the Greece Under-16 and Under-17 national teams, emerged as Quinnipiac's starting goalkeeper last year as a freshman, earning a 12-5 record and a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie team. He had seven shutouts on the season, including five saves in the 1-0 win over Fairfield that clinched the regular season title for the Bobcats. He finished the year with an .805 save percentage and an even 1.00 goals against average in 17 starts.
Quinnipiac will open the 2017 season on Friday, August 25 with a road game against Boston College. After another road contest at Connecticut on Monday, August 28, the Bobcats will host their first game in their new 1,500-seat stadium when they entertain Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.
In addition, the Bobcats had a league-high five players chosen to the Preseason All-MAAC team, four of whom are sophomores. Fifth-year senior midfielder James Doig (Liverpool, England) was the lone Quinnipiac upperclassman named Preseason All-MAAC, and was joined by sophomore forward Eamon Whelan (New Fairfield, Conn.), sophomore center backs Jeppe Haehre (Baerums Verk, Norway) and Conor McCoy (Newry, Northern Ireland) and sophomore goalkeeper Chrysostomos Iakovidis (Thessaloniki, Greece).
Quinnipiac received 113 points and seven out of a possible 11 first-place votes in the preseason poll, edging out Rider (110 points, three first-place votes),. Monmouth (95 points) was picked third while Siena (88 points, one first-place vote) was chosen fourth. Fairfield (63), Canisius (61) and Marist (60) were clustered together in the five through seven spots, while Iona, Manhattan, Niagara and Saint Peter's rounded out the poll.
Quinnipiac won the MAAC regular season title last year with an 8-2 league record, rattling off seven straight wins after dropping its opening MAAC game in overtime. A 1-0 win over Fairfield in the regular season finale secured the first-place finish, the fourth time in the last five years that the Bobcats have finished first in their league. Quinnipiac has won three of the four regular season MAAC crowns since joining the league (2013, 2014, 2016) after also winning the regular season title in its final season in the Northeast Conference (2012).
Doig was a second-team All-MAAC selection last year after missing his junior season with an injury and taking a medical redshirt. He finished the year with three goals and four assists for 10 points, scoring in back-to-back MAAC wins over Iona and Monmouth. He was also a first-team All-MAAC selection in 2014, when he led the Bobcats with six assists, and was a MAAC All-Rookie team pick as a freshman in 2013. Doig has been a part of three MAAC regular season titles in his three active seasons with the Bobcats.
Whelan had a big impact last year as a freshman, winning the MAAC Rookie of the Year Award. He was also a first-team All-MAAC honors, after tallying a team-high 11 goals, which ranked second in the MAAC, while tying for the league lead with four game-winning goals. In addition to his conference accolades, he was a third-team All-Northeast Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 Freshmen list.
McCoy and Haehre also had major impacts on Quinnipiac's success in their freshman seasons, stepping in at the two center back positions and solidifying a Bobcat defense that had graduated all four starters off the 2015 team. McCoy added three goals on the season, including one in the MAAC Championship game against Rider, and was a first-team All-MAAC selection. Haehre joined McCoy on the All-MAAC first team, and also joined Whelan on the NSCAA All-Region third team and the Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Freshmen.
Iakovidis, a former member of the Greece Under-16 and Under-17 national teams, emerged as Quinnipiac's starting goalkeeper last year as a freshman, earning a 12-5 record and a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie team. He had seven shutouts on the season, including five saves in the 1-0 win over Fairfield that clinched the regular season title for the Bobcats. He finished the year with an .805 save percentage and an even 1.00 goals against average in 17 starts.
Quinnipiac will open the 2017 season on Friday, August 25 with a road game against Boston College. After another road contest at Connecticut on Monday, August 28, the Bobcats will host their first game in their new 1,500-seat stadium when they entertain Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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