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RIPON, Wis. – For the fourth straight season Carroll heads the pack of title contenders after receiving five first place votes and 76 points in the 2011 Midwest Conference (MWC) Preseason Coaches Poll. The Pioneers have captured two of the last three MWC Championships and have earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years.

Ripon (71 points), last season’s MWC Champions, earned three first place tallies and are expected to finish runner-up while Lake Forest (68 points) received the other two first place vote to finish in third. Grinnell (51 points) is predicted to earn a spot in the MWC Tournament with Lawrence (46 points), St. Norbert (44 points) and Beloit (43 points) finishing in fifth through seventh, respectively. Rounding out the poll in spots eight through 10 is Monmouth (23 points), Illinois C. (17 points) and Knox (11 points).

The conference will look for two new award winners this season as MWC Offensive Player of the Year Mark Rosenberg (Grinnell) and MWC Defensive Player of the Year Justin Ziegler (Carroll) were both lost to graduation. Seven of the 22 All-MWC award winner’s returns from a year ago headlined by Mahir Mameledzija (Lake Forest) the conference’s leading scorer. Jackson Wilkins (Beloit) and Adam Haefner (Ripon) is the only other returnee’s from the All-MWC First Team that will be on the field this season. Andy Ksobiech (Carroll), Alvaro Calle (Ripon), Chris Haught-Thompson (Lake Forest) and Trevor Donahue (Illinois C.) will be back this season after being named to the All-MWC Second Team a year ago.

Voting is done by the MWC head men’s soccer coaches. Each coach votes for the nine other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (nine points for first, eight for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.

Team Previews:

1. Carroll Pioneers
2010 Record: 12-7-1, 8-1-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

Rick Mobley leads Carroll in its defense of the schools third MWC Tournament Championship in the last four years but will do so without three 2010 All-MWC First Team selections, including Defensive Player of the Year Justin Ziegler, who were all lost to graduation. Senior Steve Koprowski (4 goals, 6 assists) and Second Team All-MWC pick Andy Ksobiech (6 goals, 1 assist) will lead the Carroll offense after combining for 43 shots and a .233 shooting percentage. The Carroll backline will be strong again in 2011 after finishing second in the conference goals allowed (25) led by senior Adam Bruk (3 assists) and junior Justin Gerhartz (2 goals, 2 assists). Sophomore goalkeeper Tomek Miaskowski will solidify the defense after posting a 1.12 goals against average and earning four shutouts in 2010.

2. Ripon Red Hawks
2010 Record: 11-7-2, 8-1-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

The Red Hawks look to take the next step in the 2011 season after falling in the MWC Tournament Championship game in 2010. Reigning MWC Coach of the Year Lance Gordon begins his second year for the Red Hawks and will replace the top two scorers from last season that accounted for 53% of its total offense. Junior All-MWC Second Team selection Alvaro Calle leads all returning scorers after a two goal, eight assist season while fellow junior Nick Zupan netted three goals and chipped in three assists. Senior Joe Drexler leads the defense after scoring three goals and assisting on two others. First Team All-MWC junior goalkeeper Adam Haefner will attempt to replicate his 2010 season where he led the league with a 0.83 goals against average and a .825 save percentage.

3. Lake Forest Foresters
2010 Record: 12-6-0, 5-4-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

The Foresters missed out on the 2010 MWC Tournament by only three points but looks to duplicate the five-and-a-half game improvement in its overall won-loss record in 2010 and fight for a trip back to the NCAA Tournament. Lake Forest led the entire league in almost every statistical category including points (132), goals (46), assists (40), goals allowed (22) and goals against average (1.21) in the 2010 season. Sophomore Mahir Mameledzija looks to duplicate a sensational freshman season where he earned All-MWC First Team honors while leading the league in points (32) and goals (13). Senior Stephen Egan (4 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore Jordon Hartman (5 goals, 2 assists) combined for nine goals and 22 points while All-MWC Second Team defender Chris Haught-Thompson (2 goals, 5 assists) returns to strengthen the defense.

4. Grinnell Pioneers
2010 Record: 9-7-2, 7-2-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Grinnell seeks their fifth MWC Tournament Championship in school history under eighth year head coach Brian Jaworski. Jaworski will have to replace the conference’s top player after Mark Rosenberg graduated after being named MWC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as the league’s overall Player of the Year. The Pioneers also will have to replace 74% of their 2010 offense that was lost due to graduation and no returnee scored more than one goal. Sophomore Adrian Alston-Moore (1 goal, 2 assists) and juniors Reed Caron (1 goal, 2 assists) and Kanatip Winichakul (1 goal) will balance the offense while senior Evan Wright and sophomore Jerry Brown lead the defense that finished second in the conference with only 25 goals allowed. Senior Greg Fox led all goalkeepers in 2010 with eight shutouts and sported a 1.37 goals against average.

5. Lawrence Vikings
2010 Record: 9-7-2, 6-3-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

The Vikings look to return to the MWC Tournament for the second straight year after a shootout loss in the 2010 tournament under 12th year head coach Blake Johnson. Lawrence will rely on senior Stephen Exarhos to fill in the offensive void after the top two scorers were lost to graduation. Exarhos netted three goals and added five assists while sophomore Charlie Mann and junior David Caprile both scored a goal and an assist last season. Junior Hashim Allah-Morad (1 goal, 1 assist) and sophomore Joseph Cullen (1 goal, 1 assist) will protect sophomore goalkeeper Steven Solomon (1.27 GAA) to fortify the defense for the Vikings in 2011.

6. St. Norbert Green Knights
2010 Record: 6-12-0, 4-5-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

St. Norbert enters the season looking to get back to the MWC Tournament after a sixth place finish in 2010. Fourth year head coach Andy Steger need to replace his top three scorers from a season ago and doesn’t return a player with more than six points. Sophomore Nate Felhofer scored three goals last season, one a game winner, and will pace the Green Knights offense. Sterger will also have a new look on defense after graduating his top-five defenseman to a unit that allowed the sixth most goals in the conference. Senior goalkeeper Noah Davis played in 10 games and earned a 1.37 goals against average and will compete with sophomore Erik Tauschek who posted a 1.53 goals against average in nine games played between the pipes.

7. Beloit Buccaneers
2010 Record: 8-9-0, 3-6-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 1
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Beloit Head Coach Tim Schmiechen enters his 22nd year and aims to reach the MWC Tournament after a seventh place finish in 2010. Schmiechen returns three of his top four scorers from a year ago headlined by All-MWC First Team selection junior Jackson Wilkins. Wilkins was only one of three underclassmen to be named to the All-MWC First Team and finished the year sixth in the league in scoring (22 points) and seventh in goals scored (8). Sophomore Ryan Munger (7 goals, 4 assists) and senior Tom Slusher (6 goals) both added to a Beloit team that ranked second in the MWC in goals per game and shots. Senior keeper will again be between the pipes for the Bucs after making 62 saves and having a 1.68 goals against average in 2010.

8. Monmouth Fighting Scots
2010 Record: 4-12-0, 3-6-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Monmouth doubled its win total in 2010 and looks to do the same again this season to push for a spot in the MWC Tournament for the first time under sixth year head coach George Perry. The Fighting Scots plan to improve an offensive unit that scored a league-low 12 goals and averaged under a goal per game in 2010. Senior Josh Del Valle led the Scots last season with five points (2 goals, 1 assist) while junior Ryan Stranksy and sophomore Isaac Hernandez both tallied a pair of goals. Junior Andy Sheller is the top returning defender in front of junior goalkeeper Frank Bowman who posted a 1.68 goals against average in over 800 minutes of play.

9. Illinois College Blueboys
2010 Record: 3-15-0, 1-8-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 1

After an eighth place finishing, and only one conference win, second year Illinois C. Head Coach Steve Golas brings back all of his scoring from a year ago. Senior Cory Marin and sophomore Matt Justice led the Blueboys, each having five goals and an assist while Justice had a .417 shooting percentage. Junior Jeremy Moore scored three goals, which included a pair of game winning goals, while junior Alex Gagnor and sophomore Andrew Comstock each chipped in three goals. Senior Tom Batsios and Junior Josh Walters will be relied on to lead a backline that gave up the second most goals (37) in the league last season. Junior goalkeeper Trevor Donahue again will be between the pipes after 1.94 goals against average in 2010, starting all 18 games for the Blueboys.

10. Knox Prairie Fire
2010 Record: 2-15-1, 0-9-0
Returning All-MWC First Team: 0
Returning All-MWC Second Team: 0

Knox Head Coach Kevwe Akpore resumes his post after back-to-back two wins season and aims to improve with 20 returning players from 2010. Sophomore Mazwell Gatyas will anchor the offense after finishing fourth in the league in points (26) and second in goals (11) last season while boasting a .355 shooting percentage. Senior Luca Rajola-Pescarini and sophomore Avinab Rajbhandary each scored a pair of goals as Rajola-Pescarini added four assists. Seniors Jeremy Shaw and Sujeen Adhikari lead a defensive unit that surrendered a league-worst 83 goals and combined for a 3.55 goals against average last season.