College Soccer News – Guilford Ranked in Preseason ODAC Polls

FOREST, Va. – Guilford College’s men’s soccer team is ranked seventh and the women eighth in the annual preseason Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) coaches’ polls released Wednesday.

Roanoke College, the ODAC’s defending men’s champion, was picked to repeat and earned 10 first-place votes. Lynchburg College is the loop’s defending women’s champ and also collected 10 first-place votes to top the ladies ratings.

Men’s soccer coach Jeff Bateson enters his eighth season with the Quakers after a 10-8 season (7-4 ODAC) in 2012. He returns eight letter winners from last year and is looking to junior Matthew Poling to lead the offense. Poling is the Quakers’ top returning scorer from 2012 after scoring seven goals and 15 points. Senior Michael MacVane, Guilford’s first goalie to earn All-ODAC recognition (Third Team, 2012), will play leadership role on defense.

The Quakers open the season this Friday evening (8/30) at crosstown-rival Greensboro College at 5:00 p.m. Guilford plays its first home match Sept. 6 versus Oglethorpe University and begins league play Sept. 14 at Shenandoah University.

Michael Shenigo enters his first season as the Quakers’ women’s coach after serving as an assistant at both the University of Scranton and Lynchburg. He has 15 letter winners back from last year’s team, including sophomore Kelli Uresti. Uresti is Guilford’s top returning scorer after collecting nine goals and four assists in her first season. Senior Caroline Bishop, who has started all but two games of her college career, anchors Guilford’s defense. She was a Third Team All-ODAC performer in 2012.

The Quakers, who went 4-15 last year, open the 2013 season at the Berry Invitational against Covenant College this Saturday. The team plays Piedmont College Sunday in their second game of the tournament. After five games on the road, Guilford hosts Greensboro College Sept. 12 in its home opener and visits Randolph-Macon College two days later to begin ODAC action.

2013 ODAC WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes first place votes
1. Lynchburg (10) – 142 pts.
2. Virginia Wesleyan – 127 pts.
3. Washington and Lee (2) – 118 pts.
4. Bridgewater (1) – 117 pts.
5. Roanoke – 104 pts.
6. Shenandoah – 88 pts.
7. Randolph-Macon – 79 pts.
8. Guilford – 62 pts.
9. Emory & Henry – 57 pts.
10. Randolph – 48 pts.
11. Eastern Mennonite – 33 pts.
12. Hollins – 24 pts.
13. Sweet Briar – 15 pts.

2013 ODAC MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes first place votes
1. Roanoke (10) – 119 pts.
2. Lynchburg (1) – 101 pts.
3. Randolph – 95 pts.
4. Washington and Lee – 94 pts.
5. Virginia Wesleyan (1) – 83 pts.
6. Hampden-Sydney – 63 pts.
7. Guilford – 59 pts.
8. Bridgewater – 57 pts.
9. Eastern Mennonite – 52 pts.
10. Randolph-Macon – 33 pts.
11. Shenandoah – 22 pts.
12. Emory & Henry – 14 pts.