Engineers Picked to Repeat as HCAC Men's Soccer Champs

GREENWOOD, IN - Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's men's soccer team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2009 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Engineers received eight and a half first-place votes and 80.5 total points in a poll of the conference's nine head coaches.

Transylvania will look to claim its spot at the top of the HCAC men's soccer standings once again, as the Pioneers totaled a second best 71.5 points.  Manchester College placed third in the poll with 57 points.  Hanover College finished fourth with 49 points and was followed by Anderson University (48 points), Franklin College (34), Bluffton University (32), Mount St. Joseph (19) and Defiance College (14).

Rose-Hulman is coming off a 14-5-3 record in 2008.  The Engineers finished on top of the HCAC last fall with a 7-0-1 record, and defeated Transylvania in the conference tournament final 1-0.  Rose advanced to the NCAA tournament and fell to Dominican (Ill.) 3-1 in the first round.  Rose-Hulman ranked second in the HCAC in goals (41) and goals allowed (24) last season.

The Engineers return three first team All-HCAC selections from their 2008 team, including HCAC Most Valuable Player Rhys Evans (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest).  Evans led the Engineer offense with 10 goals and two assists last fall, ranking second in the conference in points scored.  Junior forward Corbin Clow (Martinsville, Ind./H.S.) and senior back John Hollingshead (St. Peter's, Mo./Lutheran) also return after being named all-conference last season.  Clow scored eight goals during the 2008 season to rank among the conference leaders, while Hollingshead anchored the Engineer defense.

Transylvania will look to challenge the Engineers for the top spot in the HCAC this fall.  The Pioneers run of three-straight league titles ended last fall as Rose-Hulman dethroned Transy as the top team in men's soccer.  Transy finished last season 11-6-1 and 6-2 in conference action.  Junior Stu Hampson (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) and sophomore Pierre Manga (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) return after being named first team All-HCAC last fall.  Hampson led TU with six goals and five assists last season, while Manga added five goals and two assists.  Senior goal keeper Trey Kramer (Versailles, Ky./Woodford Co.) returns in net for the Pioneers. Kramer finished with a 6-0 record in net last fall for Transy, allowing only five goals during his six games of action.

Manchester finished the 2008 season tied with Transy with a 6-2 conference record and claimed an overall mark of 9-10-2. The Spartans welcome back a pair of first team All-HCAC selections this season.  Sophomore forward Ben Cole (Westfield, Ind./H.S.) tied for the team lead in points scored with 18 last fall, netting six goals and six assists.  Senior back Brian Woods (Carmel, Ind./Westfield) will look to add some offensive production this fall after scoring four goals a year ago.                                    

The 2009 men's soccer season is set to begin on September 1.

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