Aug. 8, 2012
IRVING, Texas- Conference USA announced the results of its 2012 men’s soccer preseason poll on Wednesday, unveiling Marshall soccer players Daniel Withrow, Tom Jackson, and Anthony Virgara as members of the Preseason All-C-USA Team.
Withrow, a senior goalkeeper from Rochester Hills, Mich., was further voted by the league’s coaches as C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after putting-in a stellar season last fall. The Herd senior posted four shutouts on the season and was selected to the All-C-USA First Team for the second year in a row after leading the league in saves and saves per game. This is the first time Withrow has been named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and the third time he has been voted to the Preseason All-C-USA Team.
Jackson, a senior from Dunedin, New Zealand, and Virgara, a junior midfielder from Pittsburgh, Pa., were also placed on the Preseason All-C-USA Team after spearheading the Marshall attack last term. Jackson led the team in points with 10 goals and two assists, while Virgara was second on the squad with three goals and two assists. Per their efforts, both players were named Second Team All-C-USA last fall.
The Thundering Herd’s three players make-up the largest contingent from any one school to be placed on the preseason team this year, with Memphis and UCF serving as the next closest with two players apiece. Despite earning a fourth seed heading into last season’s C-USA tournament and having the largest representation of players on this year’s Preseason All-C-USA Team, Marshall was still voted to finish eighth out of nine teams in the league. South Carolina was the preseason favorite to win the conference, while FIU was selected to finish last behind the Herd.
“I’m thrilled for the individuals who were selected to this team,” said head coach
Bob Gray. “It’s definitely a carryover from the solid seasons they all had last year. Daniel is well-deserved of the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year award based on the honors he’s received in the past, but none of these truly mean anything until the season gets underway.”
The Marshall men’s soccer team kicks-off its 2012 regular season against Wright State in Charleston, W.Va., on August 24. For the official C-USA preseason release, please click here. A complete list of the C-USA preseason poll results is compiled below.
|
Team
|
Points
|
First Votes
|
|
|
South Carolina
|
65
|
1
|
|
|
SMU
|
64
|
2
|
|
|
UCF
|
57
|
1
|
|
|
UAB
|
54
|
3
|
|
|
Memphis
|
50
|
1
|
|
|
Tulsa
|
40
|
1
|
|
|
Kentucky
|
29
|
|
|
|
Marshall
|
27
|
|
|
|
FIU
|
19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Mark Sherrod, F, Memphis
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Daniel Withrow, GK, Marshall
Preseason All-C-USA Team
Anthony Hobbs, FIU
Dylan Asher, Kentucky
Tom Jackson, Marshall
Anthony Virgara, Marshall
Daniel Withrow, Marshall
Liam Collins, Memphis
Mark Sherrod, Memphis
Juan Castillo, SMU
Bradlee Baladez, South Carolina
Omar Mata, Tulsa
Reed Matte, UAB
McKauly Tulloch, UCF
Andrew Quintana, UCF
