Aug. 7, 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Notre Dame men’s soccer team has been selected to finish second in the BIG EAST Blue Division for the upcoming 2007 season. The Irish garnered 102 points in voting by the league’s head coaches, while Connecticut received 105 points. Notre Dame senior forward Joseph Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic) was named the preseason BIG EAST offensive player of the year and junior defender Matt Besler (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West) was also selected to the all-BIG EAST preseason team.
The Fighting Irish posted a 15-6-2 record last season, including an 8-3-0 mark in the conference to finish third in the Blue Division. Notre Dame returns six starters from that squad, which advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Lapira paced the Irish in 2006 as he led all NCAA Division I men’s players with 22 goals and 50 points en route to winning the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top male player according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Besler copped second-team all-BIG EAST honors in 2006 as helped bolster an Irish defense that surrendered just 0.79 goals per game. He started all 23 matches and tallied six points on two goals and two assists.
Connecticut garnered 10 first-place votes in the Blue Division, while Notre Dame had four and West Virginia totaled three. St. John’s was tapped to win the league’s Red Division followed by Rutgers and South Florida. The league’s 16 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams, cast the votes for the BIG EAST preseason team and rankings.
Notre Dame, the No. 11 team in the College Soccer News preseason poll, opens the 2007 slate against No. 1 UCLA, the defending national runner-up, at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. on Aug. 31.
2007 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Preseason Poll BIG 2006Blue Division Points EAST Overall FinishConnecticut (10) 105 8-2-1 10-7-2 2ndNotre Dame (4) 102 8-3-0 15-6-2 3rdWest Virginia (3) 86 9-0-1 15-3-3 1stProvidence 68 7-4-0 13-7-0 T-4thSeton Hall 62 7-4-0 9-8-1 T-4thGeorgetown 40 3-8-0 6-11-0 7thMarquette 29 0-11-0 1-15-1 8thPittsburgh 20 4-5-1 5-11-2 6th
BIG 2006Red Division Points EAST Overall FinishSt. John's (9) 105 5-4-2 14-6-2 3rdRutgers (1) 90 6-4-1 10-6-3 2ndUSF (3) 81 4-3-4 9-6-4 4thCincinnati (2) 79 7-3-1 11-6-2 1stLouisville (1) 70 4-5-2 5-10-3 5thSyracuse 36 2-8-1 7-8-1 7thVillanova 26 2-9-0 6-10-1 8thDePaul 25 4-7-0 5-12-2 6th(-) - Indicates first place votes
2007 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the YearJoseph Lapira, Sr., F, Notre Dame
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the YearJulius James, Sr., D, Connecticut
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the YearJason Landers, Sr., GK, St. John's
All-BIG EAST Preseason TeamMatt Besler, Jr., MF/D, Notre DameEliseo Giusfredi, Jr., F, Seton HallAmir Ikner, Sr., D, CincinnatiJulius James, Sr., D, Connecticut*Jason Landers, Sr., GK, St. John'sJoseph Lapira, Sr., F, Notre Dame*Ryan Maduro, Sr., MF, Providence*Akeem Priestley, Jr., MF, ConnecticutRyan Soroka, So., F, St. John'sO'Brian White, Jr., F, ConnecticutAndy Wright, Sr., MF, West Virginia* - unanimous selection