9/14/2023 0 Comments Sunbelt conference standing![]() ![]() The Panthers should again be very competitive. Georgia State returns eight starters from a 2021 team that on a given night could hold their own with anyone. They then topped a good Charlotte team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing on the road to Georgetown 2-0 in the second round. The Panthers are coming off a 13-7-0 season during which they had signature wins over Akron and West Virginia and earned the program’s fifth berth in the NCAA Tournament. ![]() Georgia State which is located in Atlanta is a very competitive and some would say underrated program with a winning tradition under head coach Brett Surrency. Georgia State – The Panthers return to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 after a one year stay in the MAC. Graduate Student Oliver Semmle will anchor the defense in goal along with backs junior Gabriel Alves and graduate student Collin Mocyunat among others. Redshirt senior forward Milo Yosef (3g, 8a), a 2021 All-CUSA First Team selection, who has 19 goals and 15 assists during three seasons to date returns to power the attack up-top and senior Max Schneider (2g, 2a) and graduate student Vinicius Fernandes (6g, 8a) who were 2021 All-CUSA Second Team members return to set the pace in the midfield. The cup is far from bare at Marshall so a significant drop-off is unlikely. The Herd will also have to fill the very big shoes of center back Nathan Dossantos, the 2021 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-year starter at Marshall after transferring in as a junior from Duquesne and back Jan-Erik Leinhos (1g, 3a) who was a 2021 All-CUSA Second Team member and four-year starter. Diaz and Dolabella were 2021 CUSA Co-Midfielders of the Year. Grassie will enter the 2022 season with the very real challenge of filling the voids that exist due to the departure of All-American midfielders Victor Diaz (5g, 5a), the 2020 CUSA Player of the Year and Pedro Dolabella (10g, 6a), the 2021 CUSA Player of the Year. Marshall also has a vibrant fan base which is a plus for college soccer in general and the Sun Belt Conference. Marshall under Grassie emerged on the national scene in 2019 with a 16-3-3 overall record, they followed that up with the afore mentioned 13-2-3 season and national championship in 2020, and a 11-4-3 record and third consecutive invite to the NCAA Tournament in 2021.Īnother run to the national championship may not be in the cards for Marshall in the near future but you can bet the farm that Grassie will field a very competitive possession oriented team that will have the type of balance, organization, and patience on both sides of the ball that will make them a difficult opponent to face. Upstart and unseeded Marshall surprised everyone, with the possible exception of head coach Chris Grassie, when they won the 2020 National Championship leaving several blue blood programs in their wake. Marshall – The Thundering Herd move to the Sun Belt Conference from Conference USA where they were a member from 2005 through 2021. Returning players include junior forwards Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi (6g, 0a) and fifth-year senior Ike Swinger (2g, 2a), midfielders Luke McCormick (3g, 4a) and Ryan Baer (0g, 2a) and defenders redshirt junior Bjarne Thiesen (2g, 0a), fifth-year senior Aaron Denk Gracia (0g, 2a), and sophomore Frederik Jorgensen (3g, 3a) among others. However, a very talented and experienced contingent of players are slated to return which bodes well for another successful season in 2022. West Virginia will be without the services of defender Kevin Morris and goalkeeper Steven Tekesky who were both stalwart five-year starters and forward Yoran Popovic who contributed 5 goals in his lone season at West Virginia. The in-state rivalry between West Virginia and Marshall just clicked up a notch since it now is about standing in conference play in addition to in-state bragging rights. The Mountaineers move to the Sun Belt conference as an affiliate member in men’s soccer after nine seasons as an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference. West Virginia earned the highest season ending ranking in the history of the program with a number 8 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News 2021 season ending polls. West Virginia is coming off a banner 2021 season under third year head Dan Stafford during which they were 12-3-6 overall, earned the number 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1981. West Virginia – The Mountaineers have momentum which makes them a very attractive addition to the Sun Belt Conference. The Nine Member Conference Should Be Very Competitive. The Sun Belt Conference Resumes Play In Men’s Soccer In 2022 After Being Absent In 2021. ![]()
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