Men's Soccer

Central Islip, N.Y. - The defending ECC Tournament Champion Dowling College Golden Lions have been selected to claim the ECC Men’s Soccer Title in 2011 as voted upon by the league’s coaches.  Sophomore forward Markus Naglestad from the University of Bridgeport was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and senior defender, Vladimir Milosavljevic from Dowling College was voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Dowling claimed five first place votes and tallied 59 points to take the top spot in the poll.  The Golden Lions took home both the regular season and ECC Championship titles a season ago, finishing with a 12-2-6 record.  In the ECC Tournament, Dowling defeated Bridgeport 1-0 in overtime for their first conference tournament championship in two years.  The Golden Lions also advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II Tournament, knocking off No. 1 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce along the way.

Bridgeport ranked second on the poll, grabbing the one first place vote for a total 50 points.  C.W. Post and St. Thomas Aquinas also picked up one first place vote apiece.

Naglestad put together an outstanding rookie season for the Purple Knights in 2010, earning both the ECC Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. He guided Bridgeport to a spot in the ECC Championship final match by leading the conference in points (39), goals (15), and assists (9).   Naglestad also sent home four game winning goals on the year.

Milosavljevic anchored a Golden Lions’ defense that finished eighth in Division II, allowing only 0.67 goals per game last season.  A co-recipient of last year’s ECC Defensive Player of the Year award, Milosavljevic picked up numerous honors in 2010 including a spot on the Daktronics and NSCAA All-America squads. Vladimir is also a standout in the classroom, earning the NCAA Elite 88 and the ECC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards last year.

2011 ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll