WATERVILLE, Me. (August 30, 2021) – New head coach EJ Reutemann and his SUNY Delhi men's soccer team were selected third with 20 points in the West Division in today's unveiling of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Preseason Polls. With a roster of several outstanding returners and mainly newcomers, coupled with a new coaching staff, Delhi looks to build upon its fortunes that produced nine wins and a NAC Tournament spot in 2019.
Coach Reutemann, a longtime student-athlete and assistant coach at SUNY Cortland, took over as the Broncos' new coach this summer, bringing with him some fellow Red Dragons to his coaching staff. Derek Beers, a native of nearby Franklin, NY and a Cortland defender from 2016 to 2019, serves as his former coach's top assistant. Pat Pidgeon, Reutemann's former teammate and fellow assistant coach, serves on staff as a volunteer coach.
Six Broncos return from that last competitive season in 2019, including senior Brody Rettle, a First Team All-NAC selection who ranked fourth in the NAC with 23 points and tied for third with ten goals. Through three seasons, Rettle's career numbers total 67 points on 27 goals and 13 assists. Fellow returners from that '19 squad include defender Rommernio Morris, keeper John Walch, midfielder Anthony Cuellar, defender Abubukar Mohammed, and defender Luis Tomala.
SUNY Canton led the western poll with 31 points and two first-place votes, just edging out second-place SUNY Poly, who carried 30 points with four first-place votes. SUNY Cobleskill took fourth with 19 points, while Cazenovia ranked fifth with 16 points and NVU Johnson sixth with ten votes. Husson topped the Eastern Division rankings with 33 points and four first-place votes.
Season Outlook:
The SUNY Delhi Men's Soccer team is excited to participate as full-time members of NCAA Division III starting this year, as well as their second competitive season in the North Atlantic Conference. With almost a two-year layoff and a coaching change, the team brings an array of new faces with 11 freshman and a string of newcomers on the roster. It will be unique to see how teams look with all of the changes in the past two years. There will be returning student-athletes incoming classes who have not played in a college soccer game, but have spent time on campus. With all of these moving parts and scenarios for all teams in the conference, it will be exciting to watch it all unfold. Coming off a playoff birth in 2019, the group looks to build on the momentum from the past and be contenders in a competitive but unknown league and season.
2021 Schedule:
The Broncos open 2021 on Sept. 1 hosting Utica to mark SUNY Delhi's first home contest as full-time NCAA Division III members. The following week they welcome SUNY ESF on Sept. 8, then SUNY Potsdam on Sept. 10. They head out on the road on Sept. 12 to face Morrisville State, followed by bard Sept. 15. Delhi returns home to open its NAC season against NVU Johnson on Sept. 18. A non-conference road meeting at Elmira is slated for Sept. 21 before delving into a NAC weekend twin bill, starting with NVU Lyndon Sept. 25 and Maine Farmington Sept. 26. They finish out September at Hartwick on Sept. 29.
It's all NAC the month of October, as the Broncos take their show on the road with meetings at Cazenovia Oct. 2, SUNY Cobleskill Oct. 5, Maine Maritime Oct. 9, Thomas Oct. 10, and SUNY Poly Oct. 16. They close out the regular season at home facing SUNY Canton Oct. 23.
The divisional round of the championship tournament will take place Oct. 30-31, and the NAC Championship Nov. 6. Teams will be ranked within each division for seeding and selection into the first round of the conference championship tournament. The top seed in each half will host quarterfinal and semifinal contests, then East and West champions will vie for the NAC Championship and automatic qualification (AQ) to the NCAA championship tournament. Separate, overall standings including all twelve teams will determine which divisional champion will host the title match.
