Link to Skyline Conference Complete Release
New York, NY – The Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Coaches completed their 2014 Men's Soccer Pre-season poll and Gators of The Sage Colleges have been picked to finish in third place in the race for the league's championship and the conference's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament. Sage, which finished with one first place vote was just five points out of first place behind Purchase College.
Following a record-setting 2013 campaign, Purchase has been selected to capture the 2014 Skyline men's soccer title in voting conducted by the league's head coaches. 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. Purchase won a program-best six Skyline Conference 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 (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) (28 points), the reigning Skyline Player of the Year. Last season, Sage finished as the Skyline Conference regular-season champions, while collecting the squad's third straight ECAC Tournament appearance. Trinidad earned numerous awards over the course of the campaign including 2013 Skyline First Team honors as well as NSCAA All-East Third Team honors after enjoying a record-setting season eight game-winning goals after connecting for 10 goals, eight assists and 28 points. The Gators' scoring leader in 2013, he will continue to add to a pair of Sage career scoring marks as well this year. He is the program's career game-winning leader (11), while also holding the career assist mark as well with 22. He ranks second all-time with his 64 career points (21g, 22a).
Additional support for the Sage team will come from junior TJ Zehner (Beacon, NY/Beacon) who is coming off an injury shortened season after he went 2-1-2 in seven matches played and started and capped the campaign with a 0.857 saves percentage and a 0.63 goals against average with three shutouts. As a rookie, he earned 2012 Skyline Conference All-Star Second Team honors.
The Gators will open the 2014 season on August 29 travelling to Utica College for a non-conference match-up at 7 p.m. Sage's home opener in on September 2, when Bard College visits at 7 p.m. The 2014 campaign marks the fifth season for men's soccer at Sage and the team is under the direction of Kyle Clancy.
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 Conference Men's Soccer Championship will be held on Saturday, November 1, with semifinal action slated for Wednesday, November 5. The title match will be played on Saturday, November 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
6. Mount Saint Vincent 25
(tie) Old Westbury 25
8. Maritime 23
9. Yeshiva 9
First-place votes in parentheses
