Central Islip, N.Y. - The defending ECC Tournament Champion C.W. Post Pioneers have been selected to claim the ECC Men’s Soccer Regular Season Title in 2010 as voted upon by the league’s coaches. Junior forward Farah Toure from NYIT was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and senior defender, Brian Buckmire from Queens College was voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
C.W. Post claimed six first place votes and tallied 62 points to take the top spot in the poll. The Pioneers were named ECC Tri-Regular Season Champions in 2009 finishing conference play with 5-2 mark. They earned the third seed in the ECC Tournament and defeated the second-seeded University of Bridgeport Purple Knights 1-0 in the Semifinals. After battling top-seeded Dowling to a scoreless draw, the Pioneers captured the crown with a 6-5 victory in penalty kicks to finish the 2009 campaign with a 12-5-2 overall record.
Dowling ranked second on the poll, grabbing the two remaining first place votes and a total 56 points. The Golden Lions were also named Tri-Regular Season Championships with a 5-2 ECC record last year and capped the season with a 13-5-1 overall record. Bridgeport rounds out the top three with 41 points. The Purple Knights joined C.W. Post and Dowling as Tri-Champions and was 10-5-3 on the year.
Toure led the NYIT scoring efforts in 2009, finishing with 35 points on 17 goals and an assist. The First Team All-Conference selection ranked eighth in the nation in goals per game (0.94) and 18th in points per game (1.94). Toure notched six game winning tallies and was 4-for-4 in penalty kicks.
Buckmire anchored the Knights’ backfield last season. The First Teamer secured a defense that ranked second in the ECC in least goals surrendered as well as goals against average. This spring Buckmire was one of three student-athletes to receive the ECC Excellence in Community and Character award, which celebrate student-athletes that embody the six NCAA Division II attributes of learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, balance and resourcefulness.
The 2010 men’s soccer season kicks off on September 2. Check www.eccsports.org for the complete schedule.
2010 ECC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | '09 Record |
| 1. C.W. Post (6) | 62 | 12-5-2 |
| 2. Dowling (2) | 56 | 13-5-1 |
| 3. Bridgeport | 41 | 10-5-3 |
| 4. NYIT | 40 | 9-9-0 |
| 5. Molloy | 33 | 7-8-1 |
| 6. Queens | 24 | 11-7-0 |
| 7. Mercy | 19 | 3-12-0 |
| 8. St. Thomas Aquinas | 13 | 7-9-1 |
