FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                      

Contact: John Higgins (jhiggins@iona.edu)

July 31, 2014

EDISON, NJ - The Iona College men's soccer team was selected to finish third by the league's head coaches in the 2014 MAAC Preseason Men's Soccer Poll. The Gaels finished with 98 points in the poll, finishing behind preseason favorite Monmouth and defending MAAC Champion Quinnipiac, who placed second.

Fairfield gathered 90 points for fourth in the poll. Manhattan finished fifth with 64 points and Siena placed sixth with 62 points. Canisius received 57 points, good for seventh, while Rider picked up 49 votes for eighth. Marist finished with 35 points for ninth, Niagara finished tenth with 32 points, and Saint Peter’s rounded out the poll with 26 points.

Senior forward Ignacio Maganto was selected as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Maganto, a 2013 All-MAAC First Team selection, finished with 21 points a season ago on nine goals and three assists. Maganto scored four game winners in 2013 and enters his final season with 16 career tallies.

Maganto was selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team along with senior midfielder Michael Holzer and sophomore midfielder Jordan Scarlett. In his first season with the Gaels in 2013, Holzer made an immediate impact on the Iona midfield, posting two assists and recording 11 shots, earning All-MAAC Second Team recognition.

In 18 games during his rookie season, Scarlett made nine starts, tallying two goals, including an incredible 30-yard equalizer against Fairfield that was spolighted on ESPN's Sportscenter.

The Gaels will host two exhibition contests at home to open the season, against NJIT (Aug. 16) and Hartford (Aug. 23) before officially opening up the 2014 campaign at Boston College on Aug. 29 at 4:00 pm.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch

Women's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

Best of Men's College Soccer Week 13