UW-Milwaukee Men's Soccer Draws Top Spot in Horizon League Preseason Poll
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Aug. 25, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS -- Defending champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee emerged as the favorite to win the 2005 Horizon League men's soccer title, according to the results of the preseason coaches' poll announced by the League office on Thursday (Aug. 25).
The Panthers received six of eight first-place votes and 48 points from the eight sideline bosses in the survey, edging runner-up Butler University by five points. UW-Milwaukee shared the 2004 regular-season title and defeated third-seeded University of Detroit Mercy 2-1 in the Horizon League tournament final last fall. UWM advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year and scored a 3-2 victory at the University of San Francisco in the opening round before falling to the University of California-Santa Barbara, 2-1.
Butler matched UWM's 6-1-0 loop ledger last fall, while BU's 43-point total included the other two first-place picks and placed the Bulldogs ahead of a tightly-packed group led by Detroit (31 points). The University of Illinois at Chicago (30 points) was fourth in the preseason canvass, just ahead of Wright State University (26) and sixth-place University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (23), while Loyola University Chicago (12) and Cleveland State University (11) rounded out the selections.
UW-Milwaukee mentor Louis Bennett earned League Coach of the Year honors last fall but must overcome the loss of two-time League Player of the Year Antou Jallou, who scored 18 goals a year ago. Junior midfielder Dale Weiler (four goals, 16 assists) garnered Second-Team All-Horizon League accolades in 2004.
Butler senior Scott Olsen paces the Bulldog attack after collecting nine goals with eight assists (26 points) last season. Detroit is led by junior midfielder Andrew Ornoch, who posted 12 goals and 27 points last fall, while midfielder Pavle Dundjer bolsters the UIC offense. Dundjer earned Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors after compiling four goals and two assists as a freshman in 2004.
Olsen and Dundjer join five other returning First-Team All-League selections in pursuit of the 2005 crown. This year's League summit begins Nov. 5 when the top four seeds host quarterfinal matches. The highest remaining seed hosts the remainder of the tournament, with semifinals slated for Nov. 11 before the Nov. 13 title showdown.
2005 Horizon League Preseason Men's Soccer Poll
1. UW-Milwaukee (6 first-place votes) 48 points
2. Butler (2 first-place votes) 43 points
3. Detroit 31 points
4. UIC 30 points
5. Wright State 26 points
6. UW-Green Bay 23 points
7. Loyola 12 points
8. Cleveland State 11 points
NOTE: The Head Coaches vote in this poll. Teams received seven points for a first place vote, six points for a second place vote, etc. The Head Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own squads.
