O-State men to start season ranked 8th

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August 9, 2012

O-State men to start season ranked 8th

Anonymous STAFF REPORT The Daily Star Thu Aug 09, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

If you believe in preseason rankings, the Oneonta State men's soccer team will not return to the NCAA Division III semifinals this season.

Instead, the Red Dragons will advance to the national quarterfinals.

O-State, coming off an 18-3-2 season, earned the No. 8 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's preseason poll released Tuesday. The Red Dragons' deepest penetration into the D-III tournament ended with a 4-2 loss to Calvin College at San Antonio last season.

Ohio Wesleyan earned the top ranking, followed by St. Lawrence, Messiah, Rutgers-Camden, Trinity, Amherst and Stevens Institute of Technology.

O-State set a school record for wins and went 8-0-1 in the SUNY Athletic Conference IN 2011.

Ninth-year coach Iain Byrne has several key returners, including SUNYAC Player and Rookie of the Year Eric Fortier and sophomore Justin Rivera.

In Fortier and Dan Josepher, the Red Dragons bring back their top two scorers from last season. Seniors Fortier and Josepher scored 12 goals apiece. Also back are Rivera and Alex Shkreli, who both scored five goals last season.

Oneonta will have to replace goalie Max Siegelman. Sophomore Dan DeBottis is the likely candidate to start in goal. During the spring, he earned victories over D-I programs Vermont and Albany.

Seniors Ian Tenzer and Dan Scott will lead the defense, and classmate Jeff Christian provides experience in the midfield.

O-State opens the season Aug. 31 at Franklin & Marshall. The following day, it will travel to third-ranked Messiah.

The Red Dragons' home opener is Sept. 7 against Medaille College in the Mayor's Cup. There, O-State will put its 26-game home unbeaten streak on the line. Its last home loss came Oct. 3, 2009.

Oneonta opens its SUNYAC schedule at home against Oswego on Sept. 21. The SUNYAC tournament starts Oct. 27, with the final scheduled for Nov. 3.

O-State defeated visiting Brockport, 1-0, to win last season's SUNYAC championship.