VCU Men's Soccer was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 in a poll of the league's coaches, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon.
The Rams also received one first-place vote in the 14-team conference poll. No. 10 Saint Louis was picked to repeat as champion with 193 points in the poll, while Rhode Island (170), VCU (154), Fordham (141), and Loyola Chicago (128) rounded out the top five.
VCU finished 2021 with a 9-7-2 record, including three wins over ranked teams. The Rams received votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for 11 straight weeks, and reached as high as No. 12 in the poll earlier in the season.
The Rams lost 11 players who started matches last season to graduation and professional contracts, but reloaded with a 2022 recruiting class that was ranked No. 24 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer. VCU also returns sophomore midfielder Damian Gallegos, who was an A-10 All-Rookie Team selection last year after collecting four goals and four assists.
VCU faces a challenging 2022 schedule, including 17 regular season matches and three exhibitions that feature nine opponents that played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Eight teams on the 2022 slate were ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.
The Rams kick off the regular season on Thursday, Aug. 25 at No. 14 Marshall, the 2020 National Champion, at 7 p.m. from Huntington, W.V.
Original source can be found here.
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