HobbsDailyReport.com
NOUMANSANA
ROCK HILL, S.C – Led by three preseason first-team all-conference picks, the Lenoir-Rhyne University men were predicted Monday to finish third this season in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) men’s soccer.
In a vote of league coaches, the Bears were picked to finish behind defending league champion Wingate – last year’s NCAA Division II national champion – and Tusculum.
Wingate received 10 first-place votes and 100 points and Tusculum (86) got the other first-place vote. LRU received 82 points.
The Bears’ All-SAC selections are senior forward Ismael Noumansana of Bamako, Mali, sophomore forward Marc Fernandez of Barcelona, Spain and senior defender Jens Roesller of Ettlingen, Germany.
Noumansana was last season’s SAC Player of the Year after leading the league in goals scored (17) and points. He was also an all-region pick last season.
Fernandez made All-SAC last year after leading the Bears with nine assists, and he was second in points (17) with four goals.
Making 20 starts last season, Roessler had two goals and an assist for LRU.
The Bears were 12-5-3 overall last season and 7-3-1 in the conference as they earned a national playoff bid for the first time in 10 seasons.
LRU opens the season Friday at 7 p.m. with a match on the road against USC Aiken.
SAC MEN’S PRE-SEASON SOCCER POLL
1. Wingate (10) 100
2. Tusculum (1) 86
3. LENOIR-RHYNE 82
4. Lincoln Memorial 76
5. Catawba 58
6. Carson-Newman 47
7. Mars Hill 38
8. Queens 37
9. Coker 36
10. Anderson, S.C. 29
11. Newberry, S.C. 12
ALL-SAC PRE-SEASON TEAMS
FIRST-TEAM
F – Ismael Noumansana, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Elma N’For, Wingate
F – Jon Ander, Wingate
F – Victor Peres, Lincoln Memorial
MF – Marc Fernandez, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Jens Roessler, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Danilo da Silva, Lincoln Memorial
MF – Tom Read, Carson-Newman
D – Georgios Charkoutsakis, Tusculum
D – Oscar Mitchell, Mars Hill
D – Vicente Munoz, Wingate
D – Damian Gaona, Wingate
GK – Pablo Jara, Wingate
SECOND-TEAM
F – Stian Sanner, Mars Hill
F – Jacob Simonis, Coker
F – Aladdin Elfares, Coker
F – Andreas Kvam, Tusculum
MF – Henrique Rezek, Lincoln Memorial
MF – David Fairgrieve, Wingate
MF – Mateo Correa, Wingate
MF – Ivan Andabak, Tusculum
D – Ronaldo de Jesus, Lincoln Memorial
D – Pau Peiro, Tusculum
D – Josh Calabria, Anderson
D – Claus Lehland, Newberry
GK – Joe Boyd, Carson-Newman
SEE THE BEARS’ SCHEDULE AT: http://www.lrbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc