West Babylon, N.Y. – After meeting in the final of last season's East Coast Conference Men's Soccer Championship, Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas begin the 2022 campaign tied atop the league's preseason poll that was released on Thursday afternoon. In addition, Roberts Wesleyan's Dylan Ruiz (Mexico City, Mexico) has been selected as the ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Molloy's Orlando Zambrano (Flushing, N.Y.) takes home the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Molloy and St. Thomas Aquinas both finished with 70 points to top the poll. Molloy, the defending ECC Champion, earned five first place votes compared to two for St. Thomas Aquinas, who won its first-ever ECC Regular Season championship a season ago.
Molloy brings back eight players who started at least 10 games from their championship squad including Zambrano and goalkeeper Nick Conklu, who was an All-Conference selection in 2021. Zambrano started all 21 games for the Lions and helped anchor the backline that was among the conference leaders with a 1.13 goals against average. He also contributed one assist on the season.
The Spartans also have a sizable contingent returning, with seven All-Conference honorees (Anthony Bolivar Sanchez, Juan Pablo Cedeno Varea, Jorge Umana, Cole Allen, Tristan Greenidge, Ryan Collins, and Jan Fosterling Beltran) back for another shot at an ECC title.
The final two first place votes in the poll went to Mercy who finished third with 65 points. The Mavericks, who saw a streak of three straight conference tournament appearances snapped last year, will look to earn a second ECC title in three seasons.
District of Columbia, coming off their second-ever ECC tournament berth, rounds out the expected playoff teams after compiling 55 points to finish fourth in the poll. Roberts Wesleyan, Queens, Staten Island, Daemen, and D'Youville follow to finish out the poll.
Ruiz joins Zambrano as a preseason award honoree after being selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Ruiz, a two-time All-Conference honoree and the 2019 ECC Offensive Player of the Year, put together another outstanding campaign in 2021. He led the ECC with 17 goals and 40 points and finished second with six assists. His totals also put him among the national leaders as he ranked in the top 10 in Division II in goals (6th), points (6th), goals per game (4th – 1.0), and points per game (5th – 2.29).
2022 ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| T1. Molloy (5) | 70 | 9-7-5 (5-2-2 ECC) |
| T1. St. Thomas Aquinas (2) | 70 | 10-3-4 (6-1-2 ECC) |
| 3. Mercy (2) | 65 | 9-5-2 (5-2-2 ECC) |
| 4. Dist. Columbia | 55 | 8-5-4 (5-1-3 ECC) |
| 5. Roberts Wesleyan | 45 | 8-7-3 (4-2-3 ECC) |
| 6. Queens | 37 | 8-8-0 (3-6-0 ECC) |
| 7. Staten Island | 26 | 3-12-2 (1-7-1 ECC) |
| 8. Daemen | 25 | 5-11-0 (3-6-0 ECC) |
| 9. D'Youville | 12 | 5-10-3 (0-8-1 ECC) |
( ) - first place votes
ECC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Dylan Ruiz, Sr., F., Roberts Wesleyan
ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Orlando Zambrano, Sr., B, Molloy
