PENN ST. BEHREND EXPECTED TO DEFEND MEN'S SOCCER TITLE

With seven first place votes, league coaches have selected Penn State Behrend to defend their 2016 conference title. The Lions have captured four of the past six titles and will be looking for their ninth overall this fall. 2016 runner-up Medaille College was selected to finish second, while Penn State Altoona rounds out the top three.

Franciscan University senior forward Leo Herrmann has been named the 2017 AMCC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He finished the 2016 season with 18 goals and five assists for 41 points. The Wintersville, OH native set Franciscan's single-season goal record with his 18 goals and holds the Barons' record in almost every major scoring category including the single-game, season and career records. Herrmann posted five of the team's 10 game-winning goals last season. Herrmann has 50 goals and 116 points in his career so far at Franciscan. He was named the AMCC Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2016, earned NSCAA second-team All-Great Lakes Region honors and was a 2016 ECAC South first team All-Star.

Behrend sophomore GK Chris Ralph picks up Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Honors. Ralph was named to the AMCC all-conference first team, All-Great Lakes Region first team, and the NSCAA All-American second team. He posted a 15-2-3 record with a 0.62 goals against average as a freshman. He also added nine shutouts and an .806 save percentage.

The AMCC Championship will be held November 4 at the site of the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Click here for the complete preseason rankings and players to watch.