Central Islip, N.Y. – The LIU Post
men’s soccer team has been picked as the favorite to capture
a second straight ECC Championship in 2013 as voted upon by the
league’s coaches. For the second consecutive preseason,
senior forward Cemil Turan (Staten Island, N.Y.) from LIU Post and
senior midfielder/back Clayton Ulmer (Hamden, Conn.) from the
University of Bridgeport were selected as the Preseason Offensive
and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
LIU Post, who claimed their first ECC Championship since 2009 last
season, was nearly a unanimous choice for the top spot with 10 out
of 11 first place votes and 119 points. In 2012, the Pioneers
bested their program record win total for the second straight
season, finishing with an 18-2-0 mark. LIU Post, who spent two
weeks as the No. 1 team in the nation in 2012, also begins the 2013
slate ranked at No. 8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of
America Preseason Top 25 poll.
Bridgeport finished with 99 points in the poll to rank just ahead
of New York Institute of Technology, fresh off their second
straight ECC Championship Game appearance, with 96 points. St.
Thomas Aquinas grabbed the final first place vote and comes in tied
at No. 5 in the poll with Dowling.
Turan is coming off his second straight ECC Offensive Player of the
Year award in 2012. In his junior season, Turan led the ECC with 15
goals, 34 points, and five game winning goals. Turan earned
numerous other awards for his play in 2012, including being named a
Second Team All-American by the NSCAA and a Third Team All-American
by Daktronics.
Ulmer was a repeat award winner last year as well, as he was
honored with his second straight ECC Defensive Player of the
Year award. Ulmer did not miss a beat in spite of a position change
to the midfield. He was a crucial part of the Purple Knights’
defense that allowed only 23 goals on the year, good for second in
the conference and he also helped Bridgeport shut out five
opponents on the year.
2013 ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | 2012 Record |
| 1. LIU Post (10) | 119 | 18-2-0 |
| 2. Bridgeport | 99 | 10-8-0 |
| 3. NYIT | 96 | 9-7-3 |
| 4. Mercy | 73 | 10-5-3 |
| 5. Dowling | 63 | 2-15-1 |
| 5. St. Thomas Aquinass (1) | 63 | 5-5-5 |
| 7. Queens | 59 | 7-6-4 |
| 8. Roberts Wesleyan * | 56 | 12-9-1 |
| 9. Molloy | 49 | 7-10-0 |
| 10. District of Columbia | 37 | 6-9-2 |
| 11. Daemen * | 12 | 4-9-0 |
( ) - first place votes
* - ineligible for conference tournament as NCAA provisional
member
