IRVINE, Calif. – The PacWest Conference men's soccer coaches selected Hawai'i Pacific University to finish seventh in the annual PacWest Preseason Men's Soccer Poll announced Wednesday by the conference office.
The Sharks, 6-10 overall in 2018 and 4-7 in the PacWest for eighth place, received 63 total points in the poll for seventh, 11 points ahead of Chaminade with 52 points in eighth and 25 points behind Biola in sixth with 88.
Defending PacWest champion Azusa Pacific named the preseason favorite, receiving 10 first place votes from the 12 head coaches for 138 points. Fresno Pacific was a strong second with 127 points and a first place vote. Point Loma was third with 119 points, while Concordia Irvine was fourth with 111 points and a first place vote.
Notre Dame de Namur was tabbed fifth with 90 points, two points in front of Biola, followed by HPU and Chaminade. Dominican (Calif.) was ninth with 43 points, just ahead of Academy of Art with 41. Hawai'i Hilo was voted 11th with 34 points and Holy Names 12th with 30 points.
Azusa Pacific swept all three preseason awards, with senior Arturo Astorga selected as PacWest Preseason Player of the Year, sophomore Isaac Bawa the PacWest Preseason Defender of the Year and junior Brendan Fix the PacWest Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
HPU did not have a selection on the Preseason All-PacWest Team that included six APU performers including the three award-winners to go with forward James Ndubueze, and midfielders Bruno Pagani and Gregoire Diep. Fresno Pacific placed forward Fellipe Souza and midfielder Tony Torres on the team, with Point Loma adding forward Tim Siegfried and defender Jake Eisenberg. Biola had forward Leo Thompson and defender Jake Munivez selected, and Notre Dame de Namur got midfielder Josh Santillian and defender Moises Claudio on the list.
The Sharks open the 2019 season on the road in Salt Lake City, taking on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Westminster (Utah) on Friday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. HST (5 p.m. MDT), followed by a Sunday, Sept. 8 match against Fort Lewis at 7 a.m. HST (11 a.m. MDT) in SLC.
HPU plays its first game at home on Saturday, Sept. 21 against Simon Fraser of Canada. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Waipio Soccer Stadium.
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2019 PAC WEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON MEN'S SOCCER POLL
1. Azusa Pacific (10) 138
2. Fresno Pacific (1) 127
3. Point Loma 119
4. Concordia Irvine (1) 111
5. Notre Dame de Namur 90
6. Biola 88
7. Hawai'i Pacific 63
8. Chaminade 52
9. Dominican (Calif.) 43
10. Academy of Art 41
11. Hawai'i Hilo 34
12. Holy Names 30
| 2019 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST MEN'S SOCCER AWARDS |
| Player of the Year |
Defender of the Year |
Goalkeeper of the Year |
Arturo Astorga
Azusa Pacific |
Isaac Bawa
Azusa Pacific |
Brendan Fix
Azusa Pacific |
| 2019 PRESEASON ALL-PACWEST MEN'S SOCCER TEAM |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown/Previous School |
| Arturo Astorga |
Azusa Pacific |
F |
Sr. |
El Paso, Texas/Canutillo |
| James Ndubueze |
Azusa Pacific |
F |
Jr. |
Paderborn, Germany/SC Paderborn 09 |
| Tim Siegfried |
Point Loma |
F |
Jr. |
Osterburken, Germany/Apian-Gymnasium |
| Fellipe Souza |
Fresno Pacific |
F |
Sr. |
Juiz de Fora, Brazil/West Hills |
| Leo Thompson |
Biola |
F |
Sr. |
Birmingham, English |
| Gregoire Diep |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
So. |
Munich, Germany/FOS Ingolstadt |
| Bruno Pagani |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
Sr. |
Madrid, Spain/Dharma |
| Josh Santillian |
Notre Dame de Namur |
M |
So. |
Union City, Calif./Newark Memorial |
| Tony Torres |
Fresno Pacific |
M |
Jr. |
Fresno, Calif./West Hills |
| Isaac Bawa |
Azusa Pacific |
D |
So. |
Accra, Ghana/Wa Senior |
| Moises Claudio |
Notre Dame de Namur |
D |
Sr. |
Hawthorne, Calif./Lawndale |
| Jake Eisenberg |
Point Loma |
D |
Jr. |
Temecula, Calif./Chaparral |
| Jake Munivez |
Biola |
D |
Sr. |
Anaheim, Calif./Esperanza |
| Brendan Fix |
Azusa Pacific |
GK |
Jr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison |
