MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The No. 6-ranked West Virginia University men’s soccer team was voted to finish first in the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Monday.
In a vote by the league’s top nine coaches, the Mountaineers earned 75 points, including five first-place votes, to finish ahead of Marshall, who totaled 72 points and three first-place votes. Kentucky (69 points) placed third after receiving the final first-place vote.
South Carolina (41) was voted fourth, ahead of a fifth-place tie between Coastal Carolina and James Madison (39). From there, Georgia State (35), Old Dominion (20) and Georgia Southern (15) rounded out the poll.
WVU, which finished 12-3-6 and reached the NCAA quarterfinals last season, has now been voted its preseason favorite in the league for the second straight season. Highlanders were also voted no. 1 in the 2021 Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll.
Additionally, the redshirt junior defenseman Bjarne Thiesen was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team on Monday. The Kiel, Germany native started all 21 games for WVU in 2021, totaling two goals in 1,980 minutes of play. Following the campaign, Thiesen was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team as well as TopDrawerSoccer’s Third Team Best XI.
West Virginia opens the 2022 slate on Thursday, Aug. 25, against Robert Morris. Kickoff at Dick Dlesk Football Stadium in Morgantown is set for 7:00 PM ET.
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