BOSTON – The University of Vermont men's soccer team was picked second in the 2021 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll. The conference made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
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America East Release
Voting was conducted by the league's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
UVM ranks second in the preseason poll for the second consecutive season, matching the highest ranking under head coach
Rob Dow. The Catamounts received 57 points and one first-place vote in the preseason poll. New Hampshire was tabbed as the conference favorite with 64 points and nine first-place votes. NJIT was ranked third with 48 points and UAlbany tallied 33 points to round out the top four.
Vermont and New Hampshire squared off last season as the top two teams in the conference championship. Top-seeded New Hampshire won the title on its home turf by a score of 2-0. The Catamounts finished the COVID-19 condensed season with a 5-2-1 (4-1-1 AE) mark and boasted the league's top defense with a .608 goals against average.
The Catamounts begin the 2021 campaign on Thursday, August 26 with a trip to Iona. After stops at Lehigh (Aug. 29) and Colgate (Sep. 3), Vermont returns to Burlington for the home opener on Tuesday, September 7 when it hosts Princeton at Virtue Field.
2021 America East Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
No. School Points (1st Place Votes)
1. New Hampshire 64 (9)
2. Vermont 57 (1)
3. NJIT 48
4. UAlbany 33
5. UMass Lowell 31
6. UMBC 30
7. Hartford 28
8. Stony Brook 18
9. Binghamton 15
