Quinnipiac Voted 2017 MAAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Favorite; Rider’s Jose Aguinaga Tabbed Preseason Player of the Year
Official Press Release (PDF)
EDISON, NJ – Quinnipiac University was voted as the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men’s Soccer Preseason favorites, as voted upon by the leagues’ 11 head coaches. The Bobcats received seven first-place votes, totaling 113 points. Rider University senior forward, Jose Aguinaga, was named the 2017 MAAC Men’s Soccer Preseason of the Year.
Aguinaga, a member of the back-to-back MAAC Men’s Soccer Champions, led the conference with nine assists and 0.50 assists per game in his junior campaign. The Madrid, Spain native ranked sixth in the conference with 19 points and 1.06 points per game. Three of his five goals were game-winners, fourth-most in the MAAC in 2016.
The Broncs finished second in the preseason poll, tallying 110 points and three first-place votes.
Quinnipiac, the reigning MAAC Men’s Soccer Regular Season Champion, placed five student-athletes on the 2017 MAAC Men’s Soccer Preseason All-MAAC Team including, 2016 MAAC Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Year, Eamon Whelan, James Doig, Jeppe Haehre, Chrysostomos Iakovidis and Conor McCoy.
Monmouth University (95) ranked third in the poll, followed by Siena College (88) who received one first-place vote. Fairfield University (63) placed fifth in the poll, in sixth place is Canisius College (61), Marist College (60) comes in seventh place, Iona College (48) placed eighth, Manhattan (39), Niagara (29), and Saint Peter’s (20) rounded out the preseason poll.
The 2017 Preseason All-MAAC team is comprised of Quinnipiac’s Eamon Whelan; the Rider trio of Jose Aguinaga, Clement Bourret, and Elliot Otmani at forward. At midfield, Canisius’ Melvin Blair, Marist’s Simon Lund Jorgensen, Monmouth’s Colin Stripling and Quinnipiac’s James Doig. Fairfield’s Angus Hastings, Quinnipiac’s Jeppe Haehre and Conor McCoy and Siena’s Milorad Sobot make the team at back. Quinnipiac’s Chrysostomos Iakovidis completes the team at goalkeeper.
The
2017 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship has a new format in 2017, beginning on Sunday, November 5, with the third and fourth seeded teams hosting the fifth and sixth seeded teams. The semifinals take place on Thursday, November 9, at the site of the first and second seeded teams. The 2017 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship Game is held at the highest remaining seed on Sunday, November 12.
| Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Quinnipiac (7) |
113 |
| 2. |
Rider (3) |
110 |
| 3. |
Monmouth |
95 |
| 4. |
Siena (1) |
88 |
| 5. |
Fairfield |
63 |
| 6. |
Canisius |
61 |
| 7. |
Marist |
60 |
| 8. |
Iona |
48 |
| 9. |
Manhattan |
39 |
| 10. |
Niagara |
29 |
| 11. |
Saint Peter’s |
20 |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Eamon Whelan |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Jose Aguinaga |
Forward |
Rider |
| Clement Bourret |
Forward |
Rider |
| Elliot Otmani |
Forward |
Rider |
| Melvin Blair |
Midfielder |
Canisius |
| Simon Lund Jorgensen |
Midfielder |
Marist |
| Colin Stripling |
Midfielder |
Monmouth |
| James Doig |
Midfielder |
Quinnipiac |
| Angus Hastings |
Back |
Fairfield |
| Jeppe Haehre |
Back |
Quinnipiac |
| Conor McCoy |
Back |
Quinnipiac |
| Milorad Sobot |
Back |
Siena |
| Chrysostomos Iakovidis |
Goalkeeper |
Quinnipiac |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Jose Aguinaga |
Forward |
Rider |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.