LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Trinity University has been selected as the preseason favorite based on balloting from league head coaches heading into to the 2020-21 SCAC men’s soccer spring season.
The TU Tigers, who posted a 12-7-2 record and advanced the to NCAA Tournament for the 18th-straight season in 2019, earned four of the nine first-place votes cast by league coaches to finish atop the poll with 71 points. Texas Lutheran, coming off its first-ever SCAC Tournament Championship and first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002, garnered four first-place votes to finish just behind Trinity with 69 total points. Colorado College, last year’s SCAC regular season champion after posting an 8-1-0 league record and an NCAA Tournament invite for the 20th time in program history, received the final first-place vote to finish third with 67 points. St. Thomas, coming off its inaugural year in the SCAC and after posting an overall record of 10-6-0, received 62 points to finish fourth. Southwestern, which has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2012-2013 seasons, checks in at fifth with 42 points. Rounding out the standings, the University of Dallas was slotted sixth with 30 points, Austin College earned 29 points to finish seventh, Centenary was eighth with 24 points and Schreiner followed with 11 points.
For the 30th consecutive season, Trinity enters the 2020-21 season under the direction of head coach Paul McGinlay. Last season McGinlay secured his 500th career victory and currently holds an overall record of 509-85-31 (.839), which is second among all-time NCAA Division III coaches in terms of winning percentage. In 29 seasons at the helm, McGinlay has led Trinity to 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, 10 national quarterfinal appearances and the 2003 national championship. The Tigers, who have won 22 SCAC Titles and seven of the last eight, return 88 percent of their goal scoring from a season ago. Trinity returns three First Team All-SCAC performers, including seniors Andrea Codispoti and Quentin Van Der Lee and junior Jacob Galan. Codispoti, an All-West Region Second Team selection as well, led Trinity with nine goals and three assists to finish with 21 total points. Van Der Lee secured his second-straight All-West Region First Team nod in 2020 after registering three goals and dishing out two assists to post eight total points on the season. Galan, also a 2020 All-West Region First Team honoree, led a Tiger defense that allowed just 23 goals and posted an 1.07 goals against average.
The SCAC men’s soccer season begins on February 27th with a scheduled single round robin regular season format. The 2020-21 SCAC Men’s Soccer Tournament is currently scheduled to be held in late April on the campus of Centenary College following the completion of the regular season.
2020-21 SCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
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| 1. | Trinity University (4) | 71 |
| 2. | Texas Lutheran University (4) | 69 |
| 3. | Colorado College (1) | 67 |
| 4. | University of St. Thomas | 62 |
| 5. | Southwestern University | 42 |
| 6. | University of Dallas | 30 |
| 7. | Austin College | 29 |
| 8. | Centenary College | 24 |
| 9. | Schreiner University | 11 |
