BOSTON – The nationally-ranked Vermont men's soccer team has been selected as preseason favorites in the America East Conference for the first time since 2008. Six Catamounts also received preseason All-Conference honors as the league announced the results of the 2024 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday.
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Voting was conducted by the league's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team or student-athletes.
The Catamounts picked up five of seven possible first-place votes and scored a total of 47 points in the poll. Defending tournament champion Bryant and regular season champion New Hampshire tied for No. 2 in the poll, each with a total of 40 points. Bryant received two first-place votes to New Hampshire's one. UMBC rounds out the league's top four with a total of 32 points.
Yaniv Bazini,
Max Murray,
Adrian Schulze Solano,
Sydney Wathuta,
Zach Barrett, and
Nick Lockermann took up six of a possible 11 spots on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
Bazini returns for his redshirt-senior season after earning All-Conference First Team and United Soccer Coaches' All-Northeast First Team honors in 2023. The forward from Beit Hanan, Israel recorded team-highs in goals (11), points (26), shots (65) and shots on goal (32). He scored a league-best four game-winning goals.
Murray scored three goals and one assist in 2023 but turned in an All-Conference First Team performance in 2022 with a team-high 10 goals and five assists. The 6-5 forward also collected All-Northeast Third Team honors that season.
An All-Conference Second Team selection a season ago, Schulze Solano earned starts in 14 of 16 games played, recording 90 minutes in 10 contests. The midfielder registered five points (1 goals, 3 assists) and was key in Vermont's strong defense. Schulze Solano was named the America East Championship Most Outstanding Player in 2021.
Wathuta picks up preseason All-Conference honors after turning in an All-Rookie performance as a first-year in 2023. The Calgary, Alberta native saw action in 15 games as a rookie with 13 starts. Wathuta tallied two goals and one assist, the helper on the game-winning goal against Rider in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Barrett leads the back line for the Catamounts in 2024 after receiving All-Conference First Team and All-Northeast First Team honors a season ago. A mainstay on the league's All-Conference teams during his career, Barrett started in all 17 games played, recording 90 minutes or more in 13 games on a defensive unit that recorded the 17th-most shutouts in the country. Barrett played every minute of Vermont's three NCAA Tournament games, including 110 minutes in Vermont's thrilling double-overtime victory over No. 12 UCF.
Lockermann returns for his sophomore campaign after becoming the seventh Catamount to win America East Rookie of the Year in 2023. The defender from Nuremberg, Germany earned starts in all 21 games as a first-year and played 90 minutes or more in 17 contests. Lockermann registered a team-high seven assists, which ranked second in America East. He was named to the All-Northeast Third Team.
America East Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
| Pl. |
School |
Pts. (1st) |
| 1. |
Vermont |
47 (5) |
| T2. |
Bryant |
40 (2) |
| T2. |
New Hampshire |
40 (1) |
| 4. |
UMBC |
32 |
| 5. |
NJIT |
23 |
| 6. |
UAlbany |
20 |
| 7. |
Binghamton |
13 |
| 8. |
UMass Lowell |
9 |
America East Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
The Catamounts were ranked No. 14 by the United Soccer Coaches in the associations preseason Division I national poll. Vermont kicks off the 2024 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 22 at Western Michigan. UVM's home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 7 against American at 1 p.m.
For news and updates about the Vermont men's soccer program, follow @UVMmsoccer on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.
New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont soccer
