University of Delaware Athletics
Delaware Men's Soccer Picked No. 1 in CAA Preseason Coaches Poll
8/13/2015 12:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RICHMOND, Va. -- The defending conference regular season champion University of Delaware men's soccer team has been predicted as the preseason favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association Coaches Poll announced Thursday.
In addition to being the preseason favorites to capture the league crown, Delaware junior forward Guillermo Delgado (Tres Cantos, Spain) was named the CAA preseason Player of the Year and senior midfielder Joe Dipre (Betchworth, England) earned a spot on the preseason All-CAA squad.
A year after the heartbreaking CAA Tournament finale 1-0 loss to James Madison in 2014, the Blue Hens are gearing up for an even more successful season in 2015.
Delaware gathered 60 votes, including five first-place votes, in the poll, which included voting from each of the 10 league head coaches. UNCW was picked No. 2 with 50 votes, including two first-place votes. Hofstra was third with 44 votes followed by defending CAA Tournament champion James Madison, with 41 votes, including two first place nods. Elon and Northeastern each finished with 39 votes in fifth place while Drexel and William & Mary tied for seventh with 21 points. College of Charleston rounded out the poll in ninth place with nine total votes.
Ian HennessyDelaware is no stranger to the spotlight. In addition to advancing to the CAA Tournament finals, the Blue Hens posted a 13-6-1 overall record (5-2-1 in CAA play) in 2014 and earned several national Top 25 national rankings throughout the year.
The award for Delgado was yet another impressive accolade in his two-year career with the Blue Hens. He earned CAA Player of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2014 and was named to NSCAA All-American squad for the second straight year. Already added to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch as the top collegiate player in the country this fall, Delgado has scored 27 career goals.
Dipre, a fourth-year starter this fall, has collected 14 career goals, including six in 2014 when he earned second team All-CAA honors.
