Transylvania Picked to Capture HCAC Men’s Soccer Crown

GREENWOOD, IN – Transylvania University’s men’s soccer team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2010 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Pioneers received eight first-place votes and 96 total points in a poll of the conference’s ten head coaches.

Rose-Hulman will look to claim its spot at the top of the HCAC men’s soccer standings for the third-straight season, as the Engineers totaled a second best 92 points and two first place votes.  Earlham College placed third in the poll with 74 points.  Anderson University finished fourth with 68 points and was followed by Hanover College (56 points), Franklin College (49), Manchester College (44), Defiance College (30), Bluffton University (22), and College of Mount St. Joseph (19).

Transylvania is coming off a 16-3-3 record in 2009.  The Pioneers finished second in the HCAC last fall with a 7-1-0 record, and defeated Hanover in the conference tournament final 2-1.  Transy advanced one win shy of the Final Four in the NCAA tournament last fall, falling to Calvin on penalty kicks, 1-1 in the sectional final.  Transylvania led the HCAC in goals (54), assists (26), and goals allowed (12) last season.

The Pioneers return four First-Team All-HCAC selections from their 2009 team. Senior forward Brian Williams (Lexington, Ky./Tates Creek) led the HCAC in points scored (22) and goals scored (9) last season as a junior and will look for similar results this fall. Senior midfield Tony Spero (Lexington, Ky./Dunbar) added eight goals for TU last fall and will look to pace the high-powered Pioneers offense.  Senior’s Kyle Jordan (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) and Kevin Jones (Middletown, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) return to help lead the Transy defense which allowed only one goal in league play last season.

Rose-Hulman will look for their third consecutive regular season crown this fall.  The Engineers finished the season 12-6-1 overall and 8-0-0 in HCAC action, but fell to Hanover in the semifinals of the HCAC Tournament.  RHIT will try and replace the 2009 HCAC Most Valuable Player after losing Rhys Evans to graduation.  Senior forward Corbin Clow (Martinsville, Ind./H.S.) will look to fill the void after leading the squad in scoring last fall, netting five goals and seven assists.  Senior goalkeeper Andy Kruth (Cedar Park, Tex./Vista Ridge) returns in net for Rose after a successful junior season.  Kruth allowed five goals and posted five shutouts in nine starts last fall.

Earlham College has been selected to finish third in their first year as a league member.  The Quakers finished the 2009 season 7-8-3 overall and 2-6-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.  EC returns their top two scorers from a year ago as senior forward Bannet Asingura (Mbarara, Uganda/United World College USA) and junior forward Nick Costello (Westwood, N.J./H.S.) return to the lineup.  Asingura netted 11 goals and totaled 25 points last fall, while Costello added seven goals and an assist for the Quakers.

The 2010 men’s soccer season is set to begin on September 1.

Players to Watch