DePaul University Athletics
Brian Visser Named Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
8/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
PROVIDENCE, R.I. The University of Connecticut and the University of South Florida have been chosen to capture the 2008 BIG EAST men’s soccer regular-season divisional titles. For the fourth straight year, the Huskies were picked to claim the Blue Division title, and for the second time in three years, USF was voted atop the Red Division. The votes were cast by the league’s 16 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Connecticut earned 14 first-place votes and 112 total points in the 2008 preseason poll. In 2007, the Huskies compiled a record of 20-3-1 overall, and tied Notre Dame for first place with 25 points and an 8-2-1 BIG EAST mark. UConn captured the 2007 BIG EAST Championship title after securing the No. 1 seed in the tournament by virtue of the regular-season tie-breaking policies. Connecticut went on to advance to its 11th consecutive NCAA Championship, earning the No. 3 seed. The Huskies advanced to the national quarterfinals before losing to Virginia Tech 1-0.
Leading Connecticut will be BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year O’Brian White. The 2007 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner, White led the nation in points (2.21) and goals (0.96) per game. In conference action, the senior forward scored eight goals and three assists for a league-leading 19 points. White was the only member on the 2008 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team to be a unanimous selection. Joining White on the preseason team are senior midfielder Akeem Priestley and junior midfielder Toni Stahl. Priestley was a 2007 All-BIG EAST Second Team member, while Stahl earned first team accolades.
Despite its fourth-place finish in the league standings a year ago, USF made a surge late in the season and advanced to the NCAA Championship third round, before falling to Connecticut in a rare interconference postseason matchup. In the preseason poll, the Bulls earned seven first-place votes and 99 points, topping Louisville by two points. USF ended 2007 with a 14-6-2 mark and was 6-4-1 in league action. Included among three players on the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, USF’s Yohance Marshall earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors. Marshall anchored a USF defense that allowed just 1.00 goal per game and tallied nine shutouts. Marshall, along with seniors Kevon Neaves and Jordan Seabrook, were all named to the preseason team.
Notre Dame was picked to finish second to UConn in the Blue Division, garnering two first-place votes and 99 points. ND owned a record of 14-5-5 in 2007 and went unbeaten in conference action with a 7-0-4 mark. The Irish made a run to the BIG EAST Championship final, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals as the No. 10 seed, including a 2-0 road win at No. 7 seed Santa Clara and 1-0 overtime loss at second-seeded Wake Forest. Despite the loss of former M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner and All-American Joseph Lapira, ND returns a wealth of experience. Senior defender Matt Besler, a 2008 All-BIG EAST Preseason Team selection, will be looked upon to guide a defense that gave up a mere 0.59 goals per game in league play.
Louisville was two points shy of a first-place preseason finish in the BIG EAST Red Division, earning four first-place votes and 97 total points. The Cardinals tied for second a year ago with a 6-3-2 record in conference action, and posted an 11-7-4 overall mark. The program had many firsts in 2007 advancing to the BIG EAST Championship semifinal and earning an NCAA Championship berth, all under second-year head coach Ken Lolla. The Cardinals knocked-off Lolla’s alma mater Duke 1-0 in NCAA first-round action, before falling 1-0 at No. 5 seed Ohio State.
St. John’s tallied 92 points and three first-place votes in the Red Division preseason poll for third place. After tying for second place a year ago with a 6-3-2 conference mark and an overall record of 9-7-5, St. John’s missed the 2007 NCAA Championship after qualifying for the last 15 seasons. St. John's looks to rebound and build off last year’s record behind the leadership of junior forward Ryan Soroka. Named to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, Soroka played in 19 games, scoring seven points on two goals and three assists.
Grabbing two first-place points in the BIG EAST Red Division and trying to defend its first BIG EAST regular season title is DePaul. The Blue Demons were picked fourth in the preseason selections with 63 points. DePaul ended last season with a 12-8-0 record the most wins in program history and a 7-4-0 league mark. DePaul made a run to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Championship berth, falling at Cinderella story Bradley 2-0 in first-round action. Reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Brian Visser has been tabbed with the equivalent preseason honor in 2008.
Providence was picked third in the Blue Division preseason poll with 70 total points. The Friars completed 2007 with a 9-8-2 record and a fourth-place finish in the league standings, holding a 5-4-2 mark. PC received its school-record third consecutive NCAA Championship berth, but fell at Old Dominion 1-0 in a first-round game. Leading the way for the Friars is All-BIG EAST Preseason Team selection senior Ryan Maduro. The midfielder returns for his fifth year after the leading the team in scoring a year ago with 16 points on five goals and six assists.
Also named to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team is junior forward Hansen Woodruff of Syracuse. Woodruff was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection in 2007 and the team leader in points with 24, including 10 goals and four assists.
BIG EAST action begins on Sept. 11 when Marquette travels to Notre Dame, and two days later, Georgetown will play at Providence. The remaining 10 schools will start their conference schedule beginning on Sept. 19, as all 16 schools will be in action that day. As the largest Division I men’s soccer conference in the nation, the 16 teams play a schedule that meets the needs of all of the league schools. A round-robin rotational 11-game schedule within two divisions of eight teams makes up conference play. Each team plays seven opponents within its division and four opponents from the other division.
The 2008 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship will feature the top 12 of the league’s 16 teams. Selection and seeding are based on regular season conference records. The top six teams in each division, seeded by conference point total, qualify for the conference championship. The top two teams in each division earn first-round byes to the quarterfinals. The first-round and quarterfinal games will be held on the campuses of the higher seeded teams. First-round games will be held on Nov. 5, with the quarterfinals following on Nov. 8.
The University of South Florida will be the home of the men’s soccer championship for the first time, serving as host for the semifinals (Nov. 14) and the championship game (Nov. 16). The champion receives the league’s automatic bid to the 48-team NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
CBS College Sports Network will air both semifinal games live. The championship game will be broadcast on select BIG EAST regional television outlets and CBS C.
2008 BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Preseason Awards & Coaches’ Poll
BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: O’Brian White, Connecticut, Sr., F
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Yohance Marshall, USF, Sr., D
BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year: Brian Visser, DePaul, Sr., GK
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team
Matt Besler, Notre Dame, Sr., D
Ryan Maduro, Providence, Sr., MF
Yohance Marshall, USF, Sr., D
Kevon Neaves, USF, Sr., MF
Akeem Priestley, Connecticut, Sr., MF
Jordan Seabrook, USF, Sr., F
Ryan Soroka, St. John’s, Jr., F
Toni Stahl, Connecticut, Jr., MF
Brian Visser, DePaul, Sr., GK
*O’Brian White, Connecticut, Sr., F
Hansen Woodruff, Syracuse, Jr., F
* - unanimous selection
BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Blue Division | Points | BIG EAST | Overall | BIG EAST Finish |
| Connecticut (14) | 112 | 8-2-1 | 20-3-1 | t1st |
| Notre Dame (2) | 99 | 7-0-4 | 14-5-5 | t1st |
| Providence | 70 | 5-4-2 | 9-8-2 | 4th |
| West Virginia | 66 | 7-3-1 | 14-6-2 | 3rd |
| Seton Hall | 61 | 3-8-0 | 7-11-1 | 6th |
| Georgetown | 59 | 5-5-1 | 7-11-1 | 5th |
| Marquette | 26 | 1-9-1 | 3-12-4 | t7th |
| Pittsburgh | 19 | 1-9-1 | 3-13-2 | t7th |
| | | | | |
| Red Division | Points | BIG EAST | Overall | BIG EAST Finish |
| USF (7) | 99 | 6-4-1 | 14-6-2 | 4th |
| Louisville (4) | 97 | 6-3-2 | 11-7-4 | t2nd |
| St. John's (3) | 92 | 6-3-2 | 9-7-5 | t2nd |
| DePaul (2) | 63 | 7-4-0 | 12-8-0 | 1st |
| Rutgers | 56 | 4-7-0 | 7-11-1 | 7th |
| Cincinnati | 44 | 5-5-1 | 9-10-1 | t5th |
| Villanova | 34 | 5-5-1 | 10-9-1 | t5th |
| Syracuse | 27 | 3-8-2 | 6-8-4 | 8th |
(-) - Indicates first place votes
