WATERVILLE, Me. (August 26, 2019) – Entering their first season in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC), the SUNY Delhi men's soccer team were welcomed with a number-four ranking in the NAC Preseason Poll, as released today and as voted on by the NAC coaches. The Broncos received 51 points, and share the fourth spot with SUNY Canton. The poll was voted on by the NAC head coaches.
Delhi is set to begin its third season under head coach Brian Mitko. The Broncos finished the 2018 season at 13-2-1 and reached the ACAA Finals. In addition, Delhi has gone unbeaten in its last 11 matches. They return one USCAA All-American from last year in junior Brody Rettle, who ranked second on the team with 31 points on 11 goals and an ACAA-high nine assists.
Defending NAC champion Thomas received six first-place votes and 77 points to top the preseason poll. Maine Maritime received two first-place votes and 70 points for a second-place prediction. Husson claimed the remaining first-place vote and 57 points to round out the top three. NVU-Johnson finished sixth (40 points), UMaine-Farmington seventh (31 points), NVU-Lyndon eighth (16 points), and UMaine-Presque Isle (UMPI) landed in the ninth spot with 12 points.
SUNY Delhi men's soccer opens the season with three matches on the road. It all starts in North Country Friday, Aug. 30 at SUNY Potsdam, followed by a meeting at Utica Sunday, Sept. 1 and Clarks Summit Thursday, Sept. 5. The Broncos' home opener sees them taking on Albany College of Pharmacy on Saturday, Sept. 7, then play host to Bard on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Their NAC season revs up at Northern Vermont Johnson on Saturday, Sept. 14, then a home conference matchup with Maine Maritime on Saturday, Sept. 21. Following a midweek home contest with Elmira on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Delhi continues its home stand against NAC foe SUNY Canton on Saturday, Sept. 28, then hosts Nazareth on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
The Broncos continue their NAC season on the road against Maine Farmington on Saturday, Oct. 5, then are back home the following weekend for two conference contests, starting with Maine Presque Isle on Saturday, Oct. 12, then Husson on Sunday, Oct. 13. The men welcome local rival Hartwick on Wednesday, Oct. 16, and are back on the road to conclude the regular season with a pair of Saturday NAC matches. They play at Thomas on Saturday, Oct. 19, then Northern Vermont Lyndon on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Six teams qualify for the NAC Tournament, where the top two seeds earn a first-round bye and the remaining seeds face off in the conference quarterfinals the weekend of Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3. The winners of those games move on to the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 9 against the two top seeds, with the victors moving on to the conference championship on Sunday, Nov. 10. All dates and times are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.
