GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Grove City College men's soccer program was selected as the favorite in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) this fall, according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll. The results of this year's poll, voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches, were revealed with the PAC's Players to Watch List Wednesday afternoon. 

Led by 17th-year head coach Mike Dreves, Grove City claimed five first-place votes and 103 total points to top the coaches' poll. The No. 1 seed in last year's six-team championship tournament, Grove City was dealt a 2-1 semifinal loss by No. 5 Bethany College on November 3. Grove City owns a pair of PAC men's soccer titles (1996, 2005) and has made 14-straight trips to the league’s championship tournament. Grove City last reached the title match in 2018. 

This marks the fourth-straight year Grove City has been selected as the preseason favorite. 

Bethany and fourth-year head coach Frankie Taal finished second in the poll, totaling four first-place votes and 94 points. Appearing in the championship tournament's title match for the first time since 2010 last season, Bethany earned a 3-1 win at No. 2 Franciscan University on Nov. 6 to secure its league-best 31st PAC championship. It was the program's first conference title since 2001. Taal was voted the PAC Coach of the Year last fall. 

Westminster College, led by 25th-year head coach Girish Thakar, finished third in the poll with a pair of first-place votes and 85 points. The Titans have won a combined five PAC titles, with its most recent coming in 2018. Westminster has qualified for the championship tournament in four-straight seasons. 

Geneva College totaled 82 points to finish fourth and was followed by Franciscan in fifth with 79 points. Chatham University and Washington & Jefferson College each finished with 66 points to tie for sixth. Allegheny College was eighth (50), Waynesburg University was ninth (36), Saint Vincent College was 10th (34) and Thiel College was 11th (20). 

This season’s players to watch list includes five All-PAC First Team selections, 10 All-PAC Second Team selections and 10 All-PAC Honorable Mention selections from last fall.

Grove City rising junior forward Sam Belitz (Independence, Ohio | Independence) and Franciscan rising sophomore forward Jonathan Schriner (Bluffton, Ohio | Bluffton) highlight this year's players to watch list. 

Belitz, named the PAC Player of the Year last fall, is Grove City's seventh PAC Player of the Year honoree since 1996 and first since Dale Reese in 2016. A three-time All-PAC selection (2nd in 2019, 1st in 2020-21, 2021), he made starts in 17 of Grove City's 18 matches last season. Belitz led the PAC in goals scored last year with 15, ranked second in points (36) and tied for third in assists (6). Five of Belitz's goals last season were match-winning scores. His 11 goals scored, six assists and 28 points logged during the PAC's regular season were all league highs. Belitz's 2.12 points per match average ranked 30th in Division III last season. 

In 43 career appearances (36 starts), Belitz has totaled 63 points on 27 goals and nine assists. 

Schriner had a great first season for Franciscan, earning starts in 14 of 17 matches last fall. His eight goals scored were tied for the fifth most in the PAC, while his 18 points ranked sixth. Schriner posted 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists during Franciscan's 7-2 finish during the league's regular season, helping lead the Barons to the No. 2 seed in last year's championship tournament and a spot in the 2021 title match. 

Belitz and Franciscan graduate midfielder Nick Miller (Galena, Ohio | Olentangy) were two of five PAC players recognized as members of the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Division III All-Region VII Team. 

Belitz, W&J rising senior midfielder Zach Bowser (Beaver, Pa. | Beaver) and Westminster graduate forward Tyler Caterino (Monessen, Pa. | Monessen) were three of seven PAC players to earn College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III First Team Academic All-District^® honors last November. Belitz went on to join recent Westminster graduates Sam Accordino (Canfield, Ohio | Canfield) and Nick Iregui (Gig Harbor, Wash. | Charles Wright Academy) as recipients of CoSIDA Academic All-America^® honors.

The players to watch list also includes 11 members of the Fall 2021 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition.

In July Allegheny, Bethany, Chatham, Franciscan, Geneva, Grove City, Thiel, W&J, Waynesburg and Westminster were recognized for their exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2021-22 academic year by the United Soccer Coaches as College Team Academic Award winners, with each of the programs posting team GPAs of 3.0 or higher. Bethany, Chatham, Grove City, Thiel, W&J, Waynesburg and Westminster were seven of the 157 schools that had both their men's and women's programs honored with the College Team Academic Award.  

The league’s regular season concludes Wednesday, October 26 with the six-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Saturday, Oct. 29. The title match is slated for Saturday, November 5.

This year’s tournament champion will secure the PAC’s automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship will be announced Sunday, Nov. 6, with the first and second rounds slated for Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 12-13.
 

2022 PAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2021 record (conference)
1. Grove City College (5)	103	9-9 (7-2 PAC)
2. Bethany College (4)	94	10-8-1 (5-4 PAC)
3. Westminster College (2)	85	12-9 (7-2 PAC)
4. Geneva College	82	6-9-3 (4-4-1 PAC)
5. Franciscan University	79	11-6 (7-2 PAC)
T-6. Chatham University	66	9-7-1 (6-3 PAC)
T-6. Washington & Jefferson College	66	5-8 (4-5 PAC)
8. Allegheny College	50	6-11 (2-7 NCAC)
9. Waynesburg University	36	3-12-1 (2-6-1 PAC)
10. Saint Vincent College	34	2-15 (1-8 PAC)
11. Thiel College	20	1-14-3 (1-8 PAC)

2022 PAC Men's Soccer Players to Watch

Allegheny College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Shane Lisman	Sr.	M	Mars, Pa. | Mars
Brady Napoleon	So.	D	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Mount Lebanon
Henry Rosenberg	Jr.	F	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Allderdice

 

Bethany College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Sebastian Arrocain	Jr.	M	Chivilcoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Campus Lincoln
Rokeba Cordice	Jr.	M	All Saints Villiage, Antigua | All Saints Secondary
Fausto Gionchetti	So.	M	Buenos Aires, Argentina | Oakhill
Jahzinho O'Garro	Jr.	D	St. John's, Antigua | Princess Margaret
Valentin Ursino	So.	D	Chascomus, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Instituto Carazon de Maria

 

Chatham University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Stephen Comeaux	So.	D	Frisco, Texas | Rick Reedy
Gunnar Graham	Sr.	D	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Montour
Franco Ibanez	Gr.	D	Frisco, Texas | Heritage

 

Franciscan University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Jax Mautone	Sr.	GK	Kingston, N.Y. | John A. Coleman
Nick Miller	Gr.	M	Galena, Ohio | Olentangy
Ryan Miller	So.	M	Galena, Ohio | Olentangy Berlin
Liam Nagle	Gr.	D	Manassas, Va. | Seton
Jonathan Schriner	So.	F	Bluffton, Ohio | Bluffton

 

Geneva College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Noah Abdel-Nabi	Sr.	M	Recklinghausen, Germany | Recklinghausen
Gabe Kemp	Sr.	GK	Normalville, Pa. | Connellsville
Dom Sambuco	So.	D	Venetia, Pa. | Peters Township
Cole Sauer	Sr.	D	Middleburg, Pa. | Midd-West

 

Grove City College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Sam Belitz	Sr.	F	Independence, Ohio | Independence
Jesse Greyshock	Sr.	GK	Tarentum, Pa. | Deer Lakes
Luke Kimmich	So.	M	Murrysville, Pa. | Franklin Regional
Aaron McFeaters	Sr.	D	North Canton, Ohio | Hoover
Clay Meredith	Jr.	D	Wheeling, W.Va. | Wheeling Park

 

Saint Vincent College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Jose Hurtado	Jr.	D	Santa Cruz, Bolivia | Saint Benedict's Prep.
Sean Knipp	Sr.	D	Munhall, Pa. | Central Catholic
Andres Mateos-Carrion	Jr.	M	Alicante, Spain | Saint Benedict's Prep.
David Rahaman	Jr.	F	West Orange, N.J. | Saint Benedict's Prep.

   

Thiel College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Jonah Lentz	So.	D	Greenville, Pa. | Greenville
Brock Newsome	Sr.	D	Clyde, Ohio | Clyde
Garret Smith	Sr.	F	Lordstown, Ohio | Mineral Ridge
Cade Wolf	Jr.	D	St. Clairsville, Ohio | St. Clairsville
Evan Young	Jr.	F	Suitland, Md. | Henry E. Lackey

   

Washington & Jefferson College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Nolan Agostoni	So.	M	Greensburg, Pa. | Latrobe
Zach Bowser	Sr.	M	Beaver, Pa. | Beaver
Parker Byas	Jr.	M	Columbia, Md. | Mount Saint Joseph
Will Keber	Sr.	D	Irwin, Pa. | Norwin
Jacob Lee	Jr.	M	Honolulu, Hawaii | Iolani School

 

Waynesburg University
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Logan Gonzalez	Jr.	M	Beaver Falls, Pa. | Blackhawk
Samuel Hawkins	Sr.	F	St. Mary's County, Md. | Great Mills
Seth Massotti	So.	F	Douglas, Mass. | Whitinsville Christian

 

Westminster College
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Tyler Caterino	Gr.	F	Monessen, Pa. | Monessen
Marc Esqueda	Gr.	F	San Bruno, Calif. | Junipero Serra
Zac Marzula	Gr.	M	Wexford, Pa. | North Allegheny