ANNVILLE, Pa. – The six time defending Commonwealth Champions and 2012 National Champions, Messiah College earn the top place on the 2013 Commonwealth Conference Preseason Coach’s Poll.

The Falcons are the unanimous favorite picking up 10 first place votes.  Messiah’s head coach Brad McCarty, the NSCAA Coach of the Year in 2012 returns the core of his squad from last year.  Included in that core group is the 2012 NSCAA Player of the year Jeremy Payne.  Payne led the Falcons with 44 points and 17 goals a season ago and added three goals and four assists in Messiah’s five game postseason run in route to a national title.

 All five teams that qualified for the Commonwealth Tournament a season ago are ranked in this year’s preseason top five.  Lebanon Valley earned the second spot after falling to Messiah in the championship game in 2012.  Elizabethtown, Arcadia and Alvernia round out the other top five spots on the preseason poll.

The 2013 men’s soccer season begins on Friday, August 30th with non-conference action.  The 2013 Commonwealth Conference schedule will begin on October 10^th.


1)    Messiah  81  (10)
2)    Lebanon Valley  71 
3)    Elizabethtown  66
4)    Alvernia  54
5)    Arcadia  46
6)    Stevenson  43
7)    Widener  36
8)    Albright  21
9)    Lycoming  18
10)  Hood  14

( ) denotes first-place votes