Men's Soccer Lands in Sixth on Preseason Poll

Fitchburg, MA: The Fitchburg State men's soccer team was selected in the sixth spot in this year's Preseason Poll. The coaches who voted selected Bridgewater State, who claimed last year's regular season and tournament championships to repeat this year.  

In the top spot in the 2024 poll, the Bears received five first place votes. They were 6-0-1 last season and returned Co-MASCAC Rookie of the Year Nicholas Ribeiro, who finished with a league-leading 10 assists while tallying six goals for 22 points, including four that were game-winners.

Sitting in second is Salem State with the final three first place votes. The Vikings had a 5-2 record in league play in 2023. Reigning MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year, James Meli is back for the Vikings. Last season, he helped the Vikings only allow 18 goals and an 0.89 goals against average with 12 wins, including eight shutouts.

Westfield State is next in third. The Owls were 5-2 last season with help from Carter Hebert, who started all 15 games and found the back of the net three times. He also assisted on three more goals for nine points and one game-winning goal on the year.

Coming in fourth is Framingham State. The Rams collected a 4-3 mark in MASCAC play in 2023. In his first season with the team, Kaio Santos Da Silva earned All-Conference accolades after tallying six goals and an assist for 13 points, including two game-winners.

Worcester State lands in fifth. The Lancers bring back Brendan Lower, who defensively helped the team shut down their opponents for a .106 shooting percentage while also collecting three goals himself to grab a spot on the All-Conference team.

Fitchburg State is up next in sixth. The Falcons return Elijah Kalombo, who drained four goals for eight points last season while going 1-for-1 on penalty kicks and netting a game-winner.

Closing out the 2024 poll are MCLA and Massachusetts Maritime in seventh and eighth, respectively. For the Trailblazers, Marcos Lopez is back after scoring three goals and assisting on another for seven points while nailing two penalty kicks last season. For the Buccaneers, reigning MASCAC Co-Rookie of the Year Brody Calvert looks to repeat his freshman season success which saw him end the regular season with 11 goals, second-most in the MASCAC, plus two assists for 24 points, third most in the conference.

2024 MASCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll

(First Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Bridgewater State (5) 46 points
2. Salem State (3) 43 points
3. Westfield State 37 points
4. Framingham State 29 points
5. Worcester State 26 points
6. Fitchburg State 19 points
7. MCLA 16 points
8. Massachusetts Maritime 8 points

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