Contact: Timothy Farrell
Sports Information Director

COACHES SELECT ITHACA TO TAKE EMPIRE 8 MEN’S SOCCER TITLE
Nazareth picked fifth in pre-season poll

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Aug. 14, 2006) – Ithaca College, which enters the season with a 27-game unbeaten streak in regular season conference play, was the unanimous selection by the conference coaches to finish first in men’s soccer in the Empire 8 this season. The Bombers have finished 6-0-0 in regular season conference play each of the past two years.

Rochester Institute of Technology, which shared last year’s Empire 8 title with Nazareth College after winning the championship outright in 2004, is the coaches’ pick to finish second this year. The Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the ECAC Upstate Championship in 2005, losing in the semifinals to St. John Fisher College. The Cardinals are picked to finish third in the conference this season.

The coaches’ selections to finish second through fifth this season were separated by only four points in the preseason poll. Alfred University, which shared the conference title in 2001 and 2003, was picked to finish fourth with Nazareth the choice to place fifth. The Golden Flyers shared the 2003 and 2005 Empire 8 titles, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship last year.

To show the depth of the league’s top teams, last year marked the third consecutive season that the fourth seed in the conference tournament earned at least a share of the Empire 8 title. Nazareth was seeded fourth last year and tied RIT in the championship match after losing the Tigers in 4-2 in the final conference regular season game.

Utica College and Elmira College were picked by the coaches to finish sixth and seventh, respectively. The NSCAA/adidas Preseason Poll will be announced on Tuesday.

2006 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Ithaca College 36 points
2. RIT 25
3. St. John Fisher College 24
4. Alfred University 22
5. Nazareth College 21
6. Utica College 12
7. Elmira College 7

- Empire 8 -