New York, N.Y. - Farmingdale State College has been selected to finish in fourth place this season in voting conducted by the league's nine head coaches. The Rams fell, 2-1, to Mount Saint Mary College in the final minute of the Skyline Conference Championship game last year.
Following a record-setting 2013 campaign, Purchase has been selected to capture the 2014 Skyline men's soccer title. The Panthers earned four first-place votes and 57 overall points, while Mount Saint Mary garnered three first-place votes and 53 total points to finish second in the voting.
PC won a program-best six Skyline matches, the No. 2 overall seed in last year's league championship and its first-ever berth in the ECAC Championship. The Panthers welcome back senior midfielder Junior Sanguina, a first-team All-Conference selection who ranked 13th nationally with 11 assists and added 11 goals in 2013, as well as junior keeper Esteban Aguilar (129 saves).
With the return of All-Conference senior forward Matt Garcia (17 goals), Mount Saint Mary seeks to defend its first-ever Skyline crown, while 2013 regular season champion Sage finished third in the voting with 52 points. The Gators will be anchored by senior midfielder Gustavo Trinidad (28 points), the reigning Skyline Player of the Year.
After advancing to the finals of the 2013 Skyline Championship, Farmingdale State placed fourth in the voting with 43 points, followed by St. Joseph's-L.I. (36), Mount Saint Vincent (25), Old Westbury (25), Maritime (23) and Yeshiva (9).
The opening round of the six-team 2014 Skyline Men's Soccer Championship will be held on Saturday, Nov. 1, with semifinal action slated for Wednesday, Nov. 5. The title match will be played on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Purchase College in conjunction with the Skyline Fall Festival.
The Skyline also welcomes its newest member, Sarah Lawrence College, to the conference this season. SLC will play every member institution in 2014 but will not be eligible for Skyline and NCAA Championship participation as it completes its final year of NCAA Division III provisional membership.
2014 Preseason Coaches Poll - Points
1. Purchase - (4) - 57
2. Mount Saint Mary - (3) - 53
3. Sage - (1) - 52
4. Farmingdale State - (1) - 43
5. St. Joseph's-L.I. - 36
T6. Mount Saint Vincent - 25
T6. Old Westbury - 25
8. Maritime - 23
9. Yeshiva - 9
(First-place votes in parentheses)
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