Men's Soccer: Hawks ranked 22nd in Division II Pre-Season Poll
The Rockhurst Hawks open the 2008 season ranked 22nd in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas NCAA Division II Pre-Season Poll.
Rockhurst, 11-6-3 in 2007, is one of three teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference in the national preseason poll. Northern Kentucky is ranked fifth and Lewis stands 13th in the poll. The Hawks also finished behind Northern Kentucky and Lewis in the GLVC Coaches’ Preseason Poll.
The Hawks open the regular-season with a pair of home games at RU's Bourke Field against Colorado-Colorado Springs (Sept. 5) and Colorado State-Pueblo (Sept. 7). Rockhurst begins conference play on Sept. 14 at home against Missouri-St. Louis.
Head coach Tony Tocco, who is beginning his 38th season at Rockhurst, is the winningest active intercollegiate men’s soccer coach with 550 wins.
The Hawks return 16 letterwinners and 10 starters from last season’s team. Junior forwards Tom Heinemann and Haggai Leboo ranked among the top scorers in the GLVC last season. They combined for 27 goals and 10 assists in 2007 and both rank among the top 16 goal scorers in school history.
Tocco’s top newcomers include junior defender Ronnie Mize, who played the past two seasons at Forest Park (Mo.) Community College, and freshmen Danny Esselman (midfielder from Leawood, Kan.), B.J. Marino (forward from Omaha, Neb.) and Jonathan Behee (defender from Independence, Mo.).
NSCAA/adidas Division II Pre-Season Poll:
1. Franklin Pierce (N.H.)
2. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)
3. Midwestern State (Texas)
4. Montevallo (Ala.)
5. Northern Kentucky
6. Sonoma State (Calif.)
7. Metro State (Colo.)
8. East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
9. Dowling (N.Y.)
10. Lees-McRae (N.C.)
11. Cal State Dominguez Hills
12. West Texas A&M
13. Lewis (Ill.)
14. Tampa (Fla.)
15. Gannon (Pa.)
16. Fort Lewis (Colo.)
17. Massachusetts-Lowell
18. Lander (S.C.)
19. West Florida
20. Grand Canyon (Ariz.)
21. Incarnate Word (Texas)
22. Rockhurst
23. Regis (Colo.)
24. Davis & Elkins (W.Va.)
25. Wingate (N.C.)
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