Purple Knights Picked Second In Preseason ECC Men's Soccer Poll

Central Islip, N.Y. – The LIU Post men's soccer team has been picked as the favorite to capture a second straight ECC Championship in 2013 as voted upon by the league's coaches.  For the second consecutive preseason, senior forward Cemil Turan (Staten Island, N.Y.) from LIU Post and senior midfielder/back Clayton Ulmer (New Haven, Conn.) from the University of Bridgeport were selected as the Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.

LIU Post, who claimed their first ECC Championship since 2009 last season, was nearly a unanimous choice for the top spot with 10 out of 11 first place votes and 119 points. In 2012, the Pioneers bested their program record win total for the second straight season, finishing with an 18-2-0 mark. LIU Post, who spent two weeks as the No. 1 team in the nation in 2012, also begins the 2013 slate ranked at No. 8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Preseason Top 25 poll.

Bridgeport finished with 99 points in the poll to rank just ahead of New York Institute of Technology, fresh off their second straight ECC Championship Game appearance, with 96 points. St. Thomas Aquinas grabbed the final first place vote and comes in tied at No. 5 in the poll with Dowling.

Turan is coming off his second straight ECC Offensive Player of the Year award in 2012. In his junior season, Turan led the ECC with 15 goals, 34 points, and five game winning goals. Turan earned numerous other awards for his play in 2012, including being named a Second Team All-American by the NSCAA and a Third Team All-American by Daktronics.

Ulmer was a repeat award winner last year as well, as he was honored with his second straight ECC Defensive Player of the Year award. Ulmer did not miss a beat even with a position change to the midfield. He was a crucial part of the Purple Knights' defense that allowed only 23 goals on the year, good for second in the conference and he also helped Bridgeport shut out five opponents on the year.

2013 ECC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll

( ) - first place votes
* - ineligible for conference tournament as NCAA provisional member

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About the ECC

Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Conn.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); Daemen College (Amherst, N.Y.); Dowling College (Oakdale, N.Y.); LIU Post (Brookville, N.Y.); Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy College (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan College (Rochester, N.Y.) and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). Associate Members include: Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, Pa.), Dominican College (Orangeburg, N.Y.), and Georgian Court University (Lakewood, N.J.).

The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men's and women's basketball; men's and women's cross country; men's and women's lacrosse; softball; men's and women's tennis; men's and women's indoor track and field; men's and women's outdoor track and field; men's and women's soccer; and women's volleyball.

The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.