Aug. 8, 2007

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been chosen as the favorite to claim the 2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference Men's Soccer Championship. The Cougars collected 149 total points in the annual GLVC Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

SIU Edwardsville garnered six first-place votes and outdistanced Northern Kentucky University which finished second in the poll with 143 points. Northern Kentucky collected four first-place votes.

UW-Parkside finished third in the 2007 GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 130 total points and two first-place votes. Rockhurst University placed fourth in the poll with 125 total points and received the final first-place vote.

Lewis University placed fifth in the poll with 116 total points and the University of Indianapolis finished sixth with 90 total points. Drury University (88 points) finished seventh and was followed by Quincy University (81), Missouri-St. Louis (63), Bellarmine University (61), Missouri-Rolla (60), the University of Southern Indiana (37), Saint Joseph's College (21) and Kentucky Wesleyan College (19).

The Flyers finished the 2006 season 12-6-1, posting a winning record and winning at least 10 games for a 15th consecutive season. Lewis captured the 400th victory in program history, and head coach Evan Fiffles reached the 200-win plateau. The team is looking forward to more success in 2007, with a lineup featuring four all-region selections in senior midefielder Anthony Marsico, junior forward Cory Mastey, junior goalkeeper Anthony Szymel and sophomore defender Justin Vander Heyden.

The complete 2007 GLVC Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll follows: