Coaches Peg NSU to Finish Eighth in SSC

Sharks open season at Mississippi College on August 31

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Just over one week away from its regular season opener on the road against Mississippi College, Nova Southeastern has been selected as the preseason No. 8 team in the Sunshine State Conference Coaches' Poll, announced Wednesday.

Sandwiched between Eckerd and Saint Leo in the early rankings, head coach Matt Watts and company received 44 total votes. Despite the lack of love, the Sharks don't mind being under the radar knowing they were only a few breaks from some added wins in 2016 and will have plenty of talent throughout this year's roster for a potential turnaround.

"We lost a couple of really close ones that maybe should've gone our way a year ago," said Watts. "Between the guys coming in and the ones we have returning, I'm really excited for the upcoming season. Last year, I think the guys did a great job of setting the foundation of what we are looking to do as a program. Talent-wise, I do believe we'll be stronger, although of course that's only on paper right now."

Nova Southeastern posted a record of 4-11 last fall, but showed encouraging signs of improvement by finishing 2-2 down the stretch with wins over Barry and Saint Leo. The program's top-goal scorer from a year ago is back in Bestun Mohammed along with Noel Johnson and Filippo Mancini. In addition, the team has added the likes of NAIA All-American OT Bah and Darwin Lom, who topped the Gulf South Conference in goals per game in 2016.

Defending SSC Champion Lynn topped the preseason poll by receiving eight of 11 first-place votes. Palm Beach Atlantic comes in at No. 2 with 87 tallies, while Tampa was picked third with 78 votes.

"The SSC is always strong," Watts added. "Looking at Tampa, Rollins, Saint Leo, Lynn as always, PBA, there's really no easy games for us. That's exciting, though. I love competing against the top teams in the country."

To stay up-to-date with the Sharks throughout the season, follow along on Twitter @NSU_MSoccer.

A complete look at the preseason poll is provided below.

2017 SSC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank	*School (FPV)**	Total Votes
1	Lynn (8)	97
2	Palm Beach Atlantic	87
3	Tampa (2)	78
4	Florida Tech	65
5	Barry	64
6	Rollins	57
7	Eckerd (1)	49
8	Nova Southeastern	44
9	Saint Leo	29
10	Embry-Riddle	18
11	Florida Southern	17