University of Connecticut Athletics
Men’s Soccer Picked Third in AAC Preseason Poll
8/21/2019 2:11:00 PM | Men's Soccer
STORRS, Conn. – With the men's soccer regular season less than two weeks away, the American Athletic Conference announced its preseason poll and conference awards earlier this afternoon. UConn was selected to finish third in the American for the third time in four years, while rising junior Robin Lapert was voted as the conference's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
For the seventh-consecutive season since joining the American, the Huskies garnered a top-three spot in the preseason poll. UConn accumulated 36 points – trailing only UCF (49 points, 7 first place votes) and reigning back-to-back champion SMU (42 points, 1 first place vote).
USF (31), Temple (24) and Memphis (18) make up the rest of the top-six, with Tulsa (16) and Cincinnati (8) rounding out the poll in the bottom two spots.
Additionally, all three of the Huskies' captains – redshirt-senior Dayonn Harris, junior Robin Lapert and sophomore Felix Metzler – earned spots on the All-Conference Preseason Team, with Lapert and Metzler being unanimous decisions.
Harris, a native of Milton, Ontario, proved to be an elite threat out on the flank during the 2018 season. The forward started in all 19 games he appeared in, ending the year second on the team in goals (5), assists (7) and points (17). Harris' stellar play during the year earned him nods to the American Athletic Conference All-Conference and United Soccer All-East Region Second Teams.
Metzler entered the 2018 season regarded as one of the top freshman in the conference, and validated that after grabbing the AAC Rookie of the Year Award and earning spots on the All-Conference Second Team and All-Rookie Team. The Frankfurt, Germany native, who split time on the pitch at the midfield and defensive positions, started all 20 matches and tallied four points (1g, 2a) for UConn.
Hailing from Le Havre, France, Lapert was an instant impact player for the Huskies after transferring in from University of Charleston. Along with the aforementioned Metzler, Lapert served as an instrumental part of the UConn defensive unit that forced five shutouts during the season – including three during the Husky's 10-game unbeaten streak between Sept. 8 and Oct. 23. He garnered All-Conference Second Team honors.
The Huskies open the 2019 season against Rider on Friday, August 30 at 7 p.m. at Al-Marzook Field on the campus of the University of Hartford. UConn wraps up preseason play with a Saturday night tilt at Al-Marzook Field versus Boston University at 7 p.m.
A complete list of the American's preseason awards is below:
2019 American Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
Team Points (First Place Votes)
1. UCF 49 (7)
2. SMU 42 (1)
3. UConn 36
4. USF 31
5. Temple 24
6. Memphis 18
7. Tulsa 16
8. Cincinnati 8
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Cal Jennings, UCF*
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Robin Lapert, UConn
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Yannik Oettl, UCF
Preseason All-Conference Team
GK Yannik Oettl, UCF
F Cal Jennings, UCF*
F Dayonn Harris, UConn
F Adrian Billhardt, USF
F Lukas Fernandes, Temple*
M Louis Perez, UCF*
M Yoni Sorokin, UCF*
M Felix Metzler, UConn*
M Chase Bromstedt, Tulsa*
D Robin Lapert, UConn*
D Ben Roberts, Memphis*
D Avionne Flanagan, USF
D Talen Maples, SMU
*denotes unanimous selection
