<p><strong>FORT MYERS, Fla. &ndash; </strong>A year removed from the program&rsquo;s first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth, the FGCU men&rsquo;s soccer team was picked to finished second by the league head coaches in 2012 preseason poll that was unveiled on Thursday.</p> <p>With three first-place votes, the Green and Blue were predicted to finish second in the standings behind 2011 A-Sun Tournament runner-up ETSU, which received the remaining six votes. Returning from the program&rsquo;s most historic season to date, senior midfielder <strong>Deion Jones (Tampa, Fla./Freedom HS)</strong>, sophomore forward <strong>Xavier Silva (Boca Raton, Fla./</strong><strong> </strong><strong>North Broward Preparatory School)</strong> and sophomore defender <strong>Federico Crespo (Heredia, Costa Rica/St. Paul College/Universidad Latina)</strong> were each named to the A-Sun Preseason All-Conference team.</p> <p>Earning a spot on the A-Sun All-Conference first team for the second straight season in 2011, Jones was also named to the All-Academic team. Jones started in 19 games at defense and recorded eight points on one goal and six assists, which ranked fourth in the A-Sun and second on the team. The Tampa, Fla. product netted one goal and added four assists in A-Sun play last season, while helping the Eagles&rsquo; backline post four shutouts, including one in A-Sun play, and contributing greatly to the 18-8 advantage in goals scored in league play.</p> <p>In his first year on campus, Silva was named the top freshman in the league while picking up an All-Conference second team and All-Freshmen selection. Silva appeared in 15 contests, including seven starts, at forward and tied for the team lead with 15 points. The newcomer netted six goals while adding a trio of assists last season. With nine points on four goals and one assist in league play, the Boca Raton, Fla. product&rsquo;s three game-winners all came in A-Sun contests and ranked second in the league. Silva continued his successful freshman campaign into the A-Sun Tournament, assisting on the opening goal and scoring the eventual game-winner in the Eagles&rsquo; semifinal contest against fourth-seeded Mercer en route to landing on the All-Tournament team.</p> <p>Rounding out the trio of preseason accolades, Crespo joined Silva on the league&rsquo;s All-Freshmen team last season. Crespo started all 20 games last year at defense and recorded his first collegiate point on an assist at ETSU (Oct. 16). The newcomer contributed to a backline effort which held three opponents scoreless, including one in A-Sun play. With his transition ability from the defense position, the Heredia, Costa Rica native significantly added to FGCU&rsquo;s 18-8 goal differential against the A-Sun competition. Crespo also contributed greatly to the Eagles&rsquo; A-Sun Tournament success, providing the assist on the eventual game-winner by Silva in the contest with Mercer.</p> <p>Finishing the season with a 12-6-2 overall record, the Eagles entered the 2011 A-Sun Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed after posting a 7-1 mark in league action. Having already secured back-to-back regular season championships, the Green and Blue went on to claim their first-ever A-Sun Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in the program&rsquo;s first season of eligibility.</p> <p>Welcoming back 15 players from last year&rsquo;s championship squad, the Eagles open the season with a trip to Akron, Ohio to face perennial power No. 10 Akron on August 24 at 7:30 p.m. The 2012 home opener with Bucknell is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 2 at the FGCU Soccer Complex.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Preseason Player of the Year:</strong> Jonathan Mendoza, Stetson<br /><strong>Preseason Defensive Player of the Year</strong>: Luis Ocejo, Stetson<br /><strong>Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year:</strong> Ryan Coulter, ETSU<br /><strong>Fan-Voted Preseason Player of the Year:</strong> Ryan Coulter, ETSU<br /><strong><br />Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference Team<br /></strong>GK - Ryan Coulter, ETSU, Jr.<br />D - Blaike Woodruff, ETSU, Jr.<br /><strong><em>D - Federico Crespo, FGCU, So.<br /></em></strong>D - Josh Shutter, Mercer, Sr.<br />D - John Kadane, USC Upstate, Sr.<br />D - Luis Ocejo, Stetson, Sr.<br />MF - Itode Fubara, ETSU, Jr.<br /><strong><em>MF - Deion Jones, FGCU, Sr. <br /></em></strong>MF - Jonathan Mendoza, Stetson, Sr.<br />F - David Geno, ETSU, Jr.<br /><strong><em>F - Xavier Silva, FGCU, So.</em></strong> <br />F - Kai Eckenrode, Stetson, Sr.<br />**- A tie in voting resulted in a 12-man all-conference team<br /><br /><strong>Preseason Men&rsquo;s Soccer Coaches Poll (First Place Votes)<br /></strong>1. ETSU (6) - 78<br /><strong><em>2. FGCU (3) - 75<br /></em></strong>3. Stetson - 61<br />4. Mercer - 53<br />5. Jacksonville - 36<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lipscomb - 36<br />7. USC Upstate - 28<br />8. North Florida - 19<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Northern Kentucky - 19</p> <p><strong>Predicted 2012 Tournament Champions:</strong> ETSU (6 votes)<br /><strong>Fan-Predicted 2012 Regular-Season Champions</strong>: ETSU (63 votes)</p>