Cobbers Face Uphill Battle In MIAC

MIAC men's soccer preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The rich drama of the 2011 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) men's soccer season lasted until the final horn of the regular season, and continued through an unforgettable MIAC Playoff tournament. However, with a number of talented players back and a bevy of talented teams gunning for the conference title, the 2012 season is set to pick up right where MIAC men's soccer left off.
 
After the dust settled from a hectic regular season a year ago, there was a tie atop the standings and another deadlock for the fourth and final postseason bid, serving as an indication of the conference's strength and depth. Northfield rivals St. Olaf and Carleton shared the league's regular season crown and Augsburg and Macalester finished tied for the No. 4 spot, which the Auggies claimed via tiebreaker criteria.
 
The dramatic regular season was somehow topped in the Playoffs, as both semifinal games were decided by a lone goal, and the two co-champs and cross town rivals met in an epic championship game. The Oles won 3-2 in double overtime, providing a fitting conclusion to a great season of MIAC soccer, and then represented the league by advancing to the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.

This year, the Oles return with high expectations as the No. 16-ranked team in the nation, but the rest of the field certainly won't be far behind as they engage in a two-month battle for the MIAC title.
 
Oles atop MIAC Coaches' Poll
After a stellar season in 2011, it's no surprise that the reigning MIAC Coach-of-the-Year, Kurt Anderson, and his St. Olaf squad would top the 2012 MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll as the favorite to claim a second-straight championship. The Oles received six of the 11 first-place-votes, and sit atop the ranking with 93 total points.
 
However, several teams are expected to challenge the Oles for MIAC supremacy, including rapidly-improving Gustavus, 2011 co-champ Carleton, Playoff qualifier Augsburg and always-tough St. Thomas. The Gusties had a remarkable regular season a year ago with only two losses on their record, and Mike Middleton's team took second with two first-place votes and 83 points. The Knights - who shared the 2011 conference crown with their cross-town rivals, check in at No. 3 with one first-place-vote and 78 points. Augsburg is predicted to join the playoff field once again with 75 points, and St. Thomas grabbed the other two first-place votes and rounded out the top five with 70 points.

Macalester just missed a trip to the Playoffs a year ago, tying for fourth and losing the tiebreaker, and they're picked sixth with 55 points this season. Saint John's is just five points behind the Scots at No. 7 with 50 points. Bethel was much-improved a year ago, and came in eighth in the poll with 41 points. Saint Mary's (25), Hamline (18) and Concordia (17) round out the bottom three spots in the coaches' rankings.
 
What's new?
What's new in the MIAC in 2012? From a coaching stand point ... a lot. There was a ton of movement in the offseason with three completely new coaches in the conference and two others with different roles than they had a year ago. The changes star at Bethel, where second-year man Jeremy Iwaszkowiec will get to focus his efforts on just the Royals' men's program after serving as head coach for both genders in 2011. A similar situation played out in Moorhead, as Dan Weiler relinquished men's head coaching duties and now will spend all his time with the women's program. Ben Schneweis is the  Cobbers' new men's head coach and takes the reins from Weiler.
 
Meanwhile, another coaching change impacted two MIAC schools. Jon Lowery accepted the head men's soccer coaching gig at St. Thomas, moving across town from his old post leading the Hamline program. To replace Lowery, the Pipers have called on alum Alex Morawiecki as their new head men's coach. Macalester made it 3-for-3 in St. Paul schools with coaching changes, hiring Stanford University's Gregg Olson to replace departed head coach Ian Barker.

With one other MIAC coach in his second season (Saint Mary's Pete Watkins) and two more entering their third year (Gustavus' Mike Middleton and Saint John's John Haws), that means eight of the 11 teams in the MIAC have had a coaching change in the span of just three years.
 
Who's back?
With all the coaching movement, there are still a few familiar faces in the MIAC coaching ranks. Anderson, the reigning Coach-of-the-Year, is the dean of MIAC men's soccer coaches as he enters his 24th season. His cross town counterpart in Northfield, Carleton's Bob Carlson, is starting his 16th season leading the Knights, and 2010 MIAC Coach-of-the-Year Greg Holker will be on the Augsburg bench for his ninth year as head coach.

When it comes to returning talent on the field, the MIAC is rich with stars in 2012, including the last two MIAC Player-of-the-Year honorees and a two-time conference goal-scoring champ. St. Olaf's David Rosenthal headlines the returning talent after racking up a conference-best 37 points last season en route to the top individual honor in the conference, All-MIAC recognition and a spot on the All-America First Team. Also back is two-time All-Conference defender Chad Gilmer from Augsburg, the 2010 MIAC Player-of-the-Year, and Macalester's Taylor Rasmussen who has led the MIAC in goals each of the past two seasons while earning All-MIAC and All-Region honors.

Rosenthal isn't the only star back for the Oles. All-MIAC defender Stephen Johnson also returns, as does goalkeeper Harry Ullman, who allowed just 0.81 goals per game while racking up 70 saves and seven shutouts last season. Gustavus also brings back a pair of All-MIAC stars in two-time selection Lucas Thompson and Brett Ylonen, who was a third-team All-Region selection after receiving All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors.
 
Saint John's and St. Thomas both return two-time All-MIAC leaders to their squads in 2012. High-scoring Michael Coborn returns to lead the Johnnies after earning All-MIAC honors in 2010 and 2011, and third-team All-Region honors last season. Likewise, St. Thomas' Nick Rapisarda has been named to the All-MIAC First Team after each of the last two seasons.

Carleton's title team lost several key players to graduation, but welcome back All-MIAC Honorable Mention defender Neil Bartholomay, who headlines their returners. Bethel's Cody Walkup, Concordia goalkeeper Peter Runquist and Hamline midfielder Greg Northrop were all named to the All-MIAC Honorable Mention squad in 2011, and Saint Mary's will be led by senior forward Jacob Bina.

Circle these dates
The 2012 MIAC men's soccer schedule is full of important dates and impact games. The first games of the new campaign will begin on Aug. 31, with Sept. 12 signaling the start of conference play and the regular season coming to a close on Oct. 27. This year's MIAC Playoffs will feature semifinals on Oct. 31 and the championship on Nov. 3, but here are some can't-miss games for MIAC soccer fans throughout the fall.
 
The first marquee game that comes to mind is the Northfield showdown between the 2011 conference co-champs, who also met in the MIAC Playoff championship game. Fans will have to wait until the final day of the regular season for this matchup, as St. Olaf travels across town to Carleton for a 1 p.m. game on Oct. 27. The final-day schedule features numerous great games, including Gustavus at Macalester at 1 p.m. and Saint John's hosting Concordia under the Clemens Stadium lights at 7:30 p.m.
 
The other two MIAC Playoff teams from 2011 will meet two weeks earlier as Augsburg hosts Gustavus in Minneapolis on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. Auggie head coach Greg Holker is a Gustavus alum to add another fun wrinkle to one of the most-anticipated matchups of 2012. An old St. Paul rivalry also gets a new twist on Sept. 29 when Hamline hosts St. Thomas and former head coach Jon Lowery. Another great matchup should be a battle of teams on the rise, when Bethel hosts Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. on Sept. 22.

Click here for the complete MIAC men's soccer preview
 

2012 MIAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (10 for first, nine for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals listed and first-place votes shown in parentheses.