POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced the results of the 2021-21 men's soccer preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon. Junior goalkeeper
Samuel Ilin and senior defender
Huib Achterkamp received Preseason All-MAAC accolades, while the Red Foxes as a team were projected to finish third in the conference, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
Last season, the Marist men's soccer team finished with an overall record of 10-9, and a 6-4 record in MAAC games. The Red Foxes were a solid home team all season, finishing with a 7-2 mark at Tenney Stadium. Marist entered the MAAC Championships as the #4 seed, and defeated #5 Manhattan to advance to the semifinals for the second straight season. Four days later, the Red Foxes fell to #1 Saint Peter's 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal matchup.
Ilin is coming off of his first full year as Marist's starting goalkeeper, and it was a campaign to remember. The Brooklyn product was named MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year after starting all 19 games and making 71 saves which were good for a 71 save percentage. His most impressive performance came against Monmouth, in which he stopped a career-high 10 shots in a shutout. In addition to being named Goalkeeper of the Year, Ilin was also named First Team All-MAAC and MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 4.
Achterkamp is coming off of an All-MAAC Second Team selection in 2019, which was ahis first year as a starting defender for Marist. The defender out of The Netherlands scored six goals in 2019, including a season-high two against Saint Peter's. Achterkamp also went 5-5 on penalty kicks, which ranked second in the entire NCAA.
The Red Foxes will be looking to build on a solid 2019 season with a new-look roster in 2021. Marist welcomes 10 newcomers, which includes five transfers and five freshmen, all of which Head Coach Matt Viggiano hopes will have an impact in the coming year. The season opener as of now is scheduled for Mar. 17 against the Niagara Purple Eagles at Tenney Stadium.
Saint Peter's was picked to finish first in the MAAC this season, with Quinnipiac right behind them receiving just one less first place vote and point. The full results of the poll can be found below.
| Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| 1 |
Saint Peter's (6) |
112 |
| 2 |
Quinnipiac (5) |
111 |
| 3 |
Marist |
92 |
| 4 |
Iona |
91 |
| 5 |
Manhattan |
69 |
| T6 |
Fairfield |
67 |
| T6 |
Rider |
67 |
| 8 |
Monmouth |
43 |
| 9 |
Niagara |
33 |
| 10 |
Canisius |
21 |
| 11 |
Siena |
20 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Dominic Laws – Saint Peter's |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Tomas Svecula |
Forward |
So. |
Quinnipiac |
| Pablo Decastro |
Forward |
Sr. |
Rider |
| Dominic Laws |
Forward |
Sr. |
Saint Peter's |
| Matt McGlinchey |
Midfield |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Jamie Davis |
Midfield |
So. |
Saint Peter's |
| Jordan Jowers |
Midfield |
Sr. |
Saint Peter's |
| Ignacio Antequera-Sanchez |
Back |
So. |
Iona |
| Huib Achterkamp |
Back |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Philip Smith |
Back |
Sr. |
Saint Peter's |
| Samuel Ilin |
Goalkeeper |
Jr. |
Marist |
