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Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Men's Soccer Picked Third in MAC Preseason Poll
August 15, 2003 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 15, 2003
Cleveland, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team has been tabbed to finish third in the 2003 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches poll, the MAC office announced late Thursday afternoon. BGSU won a share of its third MAC Regular Season Championship last season by finishing 4-1-0 in league play before losing in the conference tournament championship game.
Akron has been tabbed the preseason regular-season champion, while Kentucky is the favorite to capture the 2003 tournament title.
The Falcons return 13 letterwinners and eight starters from a year ago, including seniors David DeGraff (goalkeeper), Paul Dhaliwal (forward), Eric Duda (midfielder), Matt Martinka (defender), and Scott Tilford (forward). BGSU will be coached by Mel Mahler, who is in his 10th season as head coach and 17th season overall with the Falcon soccer program.
Despite the losses of goalkeeper Dan Pinho and forward Chris Gnandt, Akron returns nine starters and three All-MAC selections. The Zips are looking for leadership from senior Kirk Harwat, who received all-MAC and Newcomer of the Year honors in 2002. Fellow 2002 All-MAC selections Mike Marich and Alex Odwell also return to defend Akron's 2002 MAC title. Akron finished the 2002 season with a mark of 10-8-2 after a loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats return only four starters but feature All-MAC selections Nathan Fleetwood and Jamal Shteiwi. Fleetwood led Kentucky in assists in 2002 with seven, while Shteiwi led the team in goals with six. The Wildcats tallied a record of 10-9-0 in 2002 and lost to Bowling Green in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament.
The conference's third-place selection, Bowling Green, returns All-MAC goalkeeper David DeGraff, who has started every match in net during the past three seasons for the Falcons. DeGraff has played nearly 5,000 minutes (4,919:57) and posted 13 shutouts during his collegiate career. The Falcons posted a 2002 record of 6-13-0.
Coming in fourth in the preseason poll is Marshall, who is facing a major loss with the graduation of two-time MAC Player of the Year Byron Carmichael. Hoping to pick up where Carmichael left off is junior Firas Al-Samarraie, who started every match last year. The Thundering Herd posted a record of 7-9-2 in 2002 and advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament before being eliminated by Akron on penalty kicks.
Finishing fifth in the poll is Western Michigan, who is looking to senior Scott Duhl to help improve on 2002's record of 3-14-2. Duhl has the opportunity to become the first player in school history to earn All-MAC accolades in each of his four seasons. The Broncos dropped a quarterfinal game to tournament-winner Akron in the 2002 MAC Tournament.
Tabbed to finish sixth during the regular season is Buffalo. The Bulls lost All-MAC selection Mike Peplinski to graduation but return sophomores Cheick Diarra and Matt Stuczynski for the 2003 campaign. Buffalo lost to Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the 2002 MAC Tournament and posted a season mark of 6-9-1 Northern Illinois wraps up the 2003 field. Despite the loss of All-MAC selection Peter Agrimson, the Huskies return all but three starters. Junior Bernhard Hagevik will lead the Huskies' offensive attack, as he led the 2002 team in goals (6) and points (13).
The MAC Tournament will begin with a quarterfinal round on Nov. 7 and continue on Nov. 9 with the semifinals, with both rounds being held at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. The championship game will be played Nov. 16 at the site of the highest remaining seed. MAC men's soccer hits the field Friday, Aug. 29, when Northern Illinois takes on Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the Wisconsin Rocky Rococo Classic. Conference play begins Friday, Sept. 26.
2003 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Akron 2. Kentucky 3. Bowling Green 4. Marshall 5. Western Michigan 6. Buffalo 7. Northern Illinois MAC Tournament Champion: Kentucky
