<p><strong>FORT MYERS, Fla. &ndash;</strong> Looking to defend its back-to-back Atlantic Sun regular season championships and its first ever A-Sun Tournament championship, the FGCU men&rsquo;s soccer team officially began the 2012 season on Thursday morning as it returned to the field for its first fall practice at the FGCU Soccer Complex.</p> <p>Welcoming back 15 players from last year&rsquo;s championship squad while ushering in 12 newcomers, the Green and Blue began their preparation for the season opener at Akron on August 24 with a 7:30 a.m. training session. The Eagles return to the field for evening training session at 6 p.m.</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./ 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>Finishing last 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. The Eagles&rsquo; opener against the Zips is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Akron, Ohio, with the 2012 home opener against Bucknell slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 2 at the FGCU Soccer Complex.</p>