Caldeira Named Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as Mountaineers are Picked Second
August 14, 2024 12:53 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team was tabbed to finish second in the 2024 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
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Junior Marcus Caldeira was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while seniors Max Broughton, Ryan Baer, and Frederik Jorgensen joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
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The Mountaineers tallied 132 points, including two first-place votes in the coaches poll. Marshall was picked to repeat as champions with 138 points and eight first-place votes. UCF was slotted in third behind WVU with 111 points while Kentucky (108) and James Madison (106) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
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South Carolina was voted sixth (83), narrowly ahead of seventh-place Georgia State (80) while Old Dominion (70), Coastal Carolina (62), and Georgia Southern (60) rounded out the poll.
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It is shaping up to be a strong season for the Sun Belt as four teams are in the preseason Top 25 – No. 3 West Virginia, No. 8 Marshall, No. 18 James Madison, and No. 19 UCF – while Kentucky is receiving votes.
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Caldeira is the first Mountaineer to be named Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in WVU's third season in the conference. In 2023, he was a First Team All-American by College Soccer News and Second Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches after tallying 27 points on 12 goals and three assists.
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Baer returns to WVU for his fifth season with the Mountaineers. A captain, he has played in 72 games in the midfield for the Mountaineers and tallied six assists while contributing to one of the best defenses in the country a season ago.
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Jorgensen is back for his fourth season on the back line for West Virginia after playing in 63 games with 55 starts for the Mountaineers. An All-Sun Belt second-team selection in 2023, Jorgensen helped anchor a defense that allowed just 0.96 goals per game to go along with nine shutouts, while also contributing with a goal and four assists.
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Broughton led Mountaineers in with 1,895 minutes played in 2023 at center back and was a key component of WVU's strong defense. He also contributed on the offensive end with a pair of goals, including a game-winner against Vermont in the NCAA Round of 16, and three assists.
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Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Jr., F, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
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Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th yr., D, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
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Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Jr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
F – Lucca Dourado, UCF (5th Yr., Sao Paulo, Brazil)
F – Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos, Marshall (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
F – Isaiah Chisholm, Kentucky (So., Yorktown, Va)
M – Kevin Larsson, JMU (Jr., Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
M – Taimu Okiyoshi, Marshall (5th Yr., Kobe, Japan)
M – Ryan Baer, West Virginia (Gr., Hunterville, N.C.)
M – Marco Silva, Marshall (R-So., Coopersburg, Pa)
D – Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th Yr., Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
D – Luca Nikolai, JMU (So., Kaarst, Germany)
D – Frederik Jorgensen, West Virginia (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark)
D – Max Broughton, West Virginia (Gr., Rawtenstall, England)
GK – Mols Casper, Kentucky (So., Aabenraa, Denmark)
*Ties were not broken.
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2024 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
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1. Marshall (8) – 138
2. West Virginia (2) – 132
3. UCF - 111
4. Kentucky - 108
5. JMU - 106
6. South Carolina - 83
7. Georgia State - 80
8. Old Dominion - 70
9. Coastal Carolina - 62
10. Georgia Southern - 60
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Junior Marcus Caldeira was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while seniors Max Broughton, Ryan Baer, and Frederik Jorgensen joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
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The Mountaineers tallied 132 points, including two first-place votes in the coaches poll. Marshall was picked to repeat as champions with 138 points and eight first-place votes. UCF was slotted in third behind WVU with 111 points while Kentucky (108) and James Madison (106) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
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South Carolina was voted sixth (83), narrowly ahead of seventh-place Georgia State (80) while Old Dominion (70), Coastal Carolina (62), and Georgia Southern (60) rounded out the poll.
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It is shaping up to be a strong season for the Sun Belt as four teams are in the preseason Top 25 – No. 3 West Virginia, No. 8 Marshall, No. 18 James Madison, and No. 19 UCF – while Kentucky is receiving votes.
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Caldeira is the first Mountaineer to be named Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in WVU's third season in the conference. In 2023, he was a First Team All-American by College Soccer News and Second Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches after tallying 27 points on 12 goals and three assists.
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Baer returns to WVU for his fifth season with the Mountaineers. A captain, he has played in 72 games in the midfield for the Mountaineers and tallied six assists while contributing to one of the best defenses in the country a season ago.
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Jorgensen is back for his fourth season on the back line for West Virginia after playing in 63 games with 55 starts for the Mountaineers. An All-Sun Belt second-team selection in 2023, Jorgensen helped anchor a defense that allowed just 0.96 goals per game to go along with nine shutouts, while also contributing with a goal and four assists.
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Broughton led Mountaineers in with 1,895 minutes played in 2023 at center back and was a key component of WVU's strong defense. He also contributed on the offensive end with a pair of goals, including a game-winner against Vermont in the NCAA Round of 16, and three assists.
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Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Jr., F, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
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Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th yr., D, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
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Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Jr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
F – Lucca Dourado, UCF (5th Yr., Sao Paulo, Brazil)
F – Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos, Marshall (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
F – Isaiah Chisholm, Kentucky (So., Yorktown, Va)
M – Kevin Larsson, JMU (Jr., Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
M – Taimu Okiyoshi, Marshall (5th Yr., Kobe, Japan)
M – Ryan Baer, West Virginia (Gr., Hunterville, N.C.)
M – Marco Silva, Marshall (R-So., Coopersburg, Pa)
D – Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th Yr., Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
D – Luca Nikolai, JMU (So., Kaarst, Germany)
D – Frederik Jorgensen, West Virginia (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark)
D – Max Broughton, West Virginia (Gr., Rawtenstall, England)
GK – Mols Casper, Kentucky (So., Aabenraa, Denmark)
*Ties were not broken.
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2024 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
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1. Marshall (8) – 138
2. West Virginia (2) – 132
3. UCF - 111
4. Kentucky - 108
5. JMU - 106
6. South Carolina - 83
7. Georgia State - 80
8. Old Dominion - 70
9. Coastal Carolina - 62
10. Georgia Southern - 60
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
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For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
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