SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released their men's soccer preseason poll Wednesday morning and Endicott has been selected as number four with 68 points. Roger Williams University has been tabbed as the favorite to win the 2013 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's soccer championship after receiving five first place votes and a total of 91 points in the CCC preseason poll. Salve Regina University, the defending champion, earned second place with 89 points and three first place votes. Western New England University claimed third with 77 points and garnered the last two first place votes.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head men's soccer coaches.

The Endicott men's soccer team will look to continue their team's success in 2013. In 2012 they posted a 9-8-5 overall record which marks their best winning percentage since 2003. The Blue and Green continued their recent accomplishments by going to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) quarterfinals and then playing in the ECAC tournament for the second consecutive year. The 2012 team only grew stronger under the leadership of Coach Calabrese who lead them to the ECAC semifinals for the first time in program history.

The 2013 season will mark Coach Calabrese's third season where his knowledge of the game has continued to bring growth and success to the program. "Our expectations are three prong. We expect our team to compete all the time, hold each other accountable to the program standards and values set forth by the team, and enjoy the emotional highs and lows associated with a season long journey" said Coach Calabrese.

Last season Endicott was ousted from the CCC tournament by cross-town rival Gordon College in a tight home match. When the squad was selected to participate in the ECAC tournament they drew Lasell College and came out with the win after a penalty kick thriller. They then traveled to Roger Williams to face off against Coast Guard for the ECAC semifinals where they lost by a slim margin 2-1. The 2012 season had many achievements for the program and created a forward momentum for the upcoming season for this group of determined Gulls.

"Our coaching staff and team have raised the standards each year. Our team continually matures and grows year round due to the fact they lift, run, and play during the entire calendar year. We've recruited players with a team first approach and players who've won high school or club state championships. These players are mentally wired and are self-motivated to compete daily. Simply put, our players have dictated and controlled the success of our teams during my first two years as the head coach at Endicott" said Coach Calabrese.

The Gulls will welcome back co-captains Alex Elia, Brett Longobucco, and Alex Jorge.  The team will look to them to create opportunities in the final third. Elia played 1147 minutes last year and tallied a goal and four assists, Longobucco played a team high 1,805 minutes and junior Alex Jorge will look to use his speed to create dangerous attacks on goal. Coach Calabrese is also excited for the incorporation of freshman Edwin Demoya, Brion Likaj, and Joseph Pelliccio who are sought to make an immediate impact on the teams attack this season.

Junior co-captain Jed Magnusson will look to provide leadership to the backfield line that will consist of junior Michael DiTommaso, and sophomores Kyle Bisceglia and Spencer Fletcher.

Coach Calabrese says, "We certainly did lose some key pieces to our successful 2012 season. Now that doesn't mean we can't replace them. Our returning goalkeeper, center backs, and outside backs are up to the challenge. We'll have a minimum of three new backs on a back line of four. They are all athletic, strong, and good one on one defender's. They'll gain chemistry and confidence the more matches they play together. Our team's success isn't determined by any single player in our program. If our players understand and believe in our system the results will take care of themselves."

Defending the goal for Endicott will be the task of goalkeeper sophomore, Austin Peluso who saw action in six games and compiled a .825 save percentage last season. He is a strong goalkeeper who played significant minutes as the Gulls number two goalkeeper as a freshmen.  

The Blue and Green are excited to bring in a new mix of talented transfer students and freshman that will blend well with the returners under the leadership of the co-captains. Coach Calabrese described the leadership saying, "Ultimately our program aspires to win the regular season and post season CCC championship. This can only happen if we meet and exceed our program expectations daily. We've selected four captains for the 2013 season. Alex Elia, Brett Longobucco, Alex Jorge, and Jed Magnusson will lead our team into battle every day. They'll play a huge role in our team's efforts to gain a NCAA tournament berth"

This season Endicott will face a strong schedule out of conference where they will face UMass Dartmouth, Springfield, Keene State, St. Joseph's, and Rhode Island College. In conference some key matches for the Gulls will be Roger Williams, Nichols, Western New England and a rival match against Gordon. Coach Calabrese looks to continue their programs steps in the right direction and looks to win a conference championship and earn a NCAA tournament berth for the first time in program history.