By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University enters the 2017 men's soccer season ranked fourth in the Northwest Conference Preaseason Poll, as voted on by the NWC head coaches. The Bearcats finished last year with an 8-8-1 overall record and a 6-7-1 NWC record (5th place). Whitworth University was picked to win its fourth consecutive NWC championship.
Whitworth received six of eight first place votes and a total of 54 points in this year's NWC Preseason Poll. The Pirates won the 2016 NWC title with a 10-1-3 record in conference play and ended the season at 12-4-3 overall. Three First Team All-NWC selections return for Whitworth. They are junior midfielder Jonah Snyder, senior defender Kyle Morris, and senior forward Moi Diaz. Snyder tied for the NWC lead with 15 goals.
Pacific Lutheran University was second in the poll with one first place vote and 43 points. The Lutes were 7-6-1 in the NWC and 10-8-2 overall last season. Eddie Na, who topped the NWC in scoring with 39 points, matched Snyder with 15 goals scored.
Third place in the poll was held by University of Puget Sound with the remaining first place vote and 37 points. Last fall, the Loggers finished 8-4-2 in the NWC and went 11-5-2 overall. Willamette was fourth in the poll with 27 points, as the Bearcats edged out Pacific University, which placed fifth with 26 points. The Boxers earned an 8-3-3 record in NWC play las season, while going 10-6-3 overall.
Whitman was sixth in the poll with 24 points. In 2016, the Blues ended the year just below .500 in the NWC at 4-5-5, but gained an 8-7-5 overall record for the season. Linfield College placed seventh in the poll with 12 points and George Fox University was eight with nine points. The Wildcats were 3-10-1 in the NWC and 3-14-2 overall, while the Bruins concluded the year at 1-11-2 in the NWC and 1-15-3 overall.
Top returning players for Willamette include Alan Hernandez (Sr., F, Tigard, OR/Tigard HS), Quinn Mello-Bastida (Sr., M, San Jose, CA/Valley Christian HS/U. of Portland) and Maxwell McKee (Jr., M, Coronado, CA/Coronado HS). Hernandez led the Bearcats in scoring with 11 total points on four goals and three assists. Mello-Bastida topped the roster with four assists, while playing in 16 of 17 games. McKee also competed in 16 games (14 starts). He recorded one goals and one assist. Joe Plaster (Jr., D, San Diego, CA/University City HS) returns as an outside defender, where he saw action in 15 games with 11 starts.
Willamette is set to open the regular season on Friday, Sept. 1 at Pomona-Pitzer. Game time in Claremont, California, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (PDT).
2017 NWC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll (1st place votes in parentheses)
1. Whitworth (6), 54 points, 12-4-3 overall, 10-1-3 in NWC in 2016
2. Pacific Lutheran (1), 43 points, 10-8-2 overall, 7-6-1 in NWC
3. Puget Sound (1), 37 points, 11-5-2 overall, 8-4-2 in NWC
4. Willamette, 27 points, 8-8-1 overall, 6-7-1 in NWC
5. Pacific, 26 points, 10-6-3 overall, 8-3-3 in NWC
6. Whitman, 24 points, 8-7-5 overall, 4-5-5 in NWC
7. Linfield, 12 points, 3-14-2 overall, 3-10-1 in NWC
8. George Fox, 9 points, 1-15-3 overall, 1-11-2 in NWC
Note: Points were awarded on an 8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own team.
