Full Centennial Conference Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's soccer team was picked for a fifth-place finish in the 2021 Centennial Conference men's soccer preseason poll, the conference office announced in a release Tuesday morning. Haverford was tied with Dickinson as the two squads each received 45 total voting points in the annual forecast. The 10 conference head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs.
Johns Hopkins (77 total voting points, six first-place tallies) is the preseason favorite after taking home the 2019 title, while Franklin & Marshall (74, three first-place votes) and Swarthmore (63, one first place vote) check in second and third. Gettysburg (56) was picked fourth. Each of the top four teams in the poll reached the NCAA tournament in 2019. Muhlenberg (38), Washington College (22), McDaniel (21), and Ursinus (9) were picked to finish seventh through 10th, respectively.
The Fords made a ninth consecutive Centennial Conference tournament appearance in 2019, hosting a home playoff game against Gettysburg in the opening round. The Fords were ranked as high as No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll throughout the regular season and took a 1-0 road win over Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Haverford went 9-6-3 overall with a 5-3-1 record in Centennial Conference matches during the 2019 campaign. Haverford has a tradition of excellence, with the fourth most wins in the history of Division III men's soccer (839). The Fords have won four Centennial Conference championships, most recently in 2018.
Noah Schwab anchors the youthful 2021 squad as he returns from an All-Centennial Conference campaign in 2019. The senior midfielder earned honorable mention as a sophomore and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection for 2020.
Men's Soccer opens up the season with a pair of road games, traveling to Cabrini tomorrow for a 4 p.m. kickoff before a matinee at Lycoming on Saturday, September 4. The season continues with the Jimmy Mills Tournament at home, with matchups against Rowan (Sept. 11) and Widener (Sept. 12).