Players Mentioned
Men’s Soccer Picked Second; Four Garner Preseason Honors
8/16/2017 3:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer
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LakePoint, Ga. – The University of North Florida men's soccer team was picked second in the 2017 ASUN Conference Preseason Poll, the conference office announced on Wednesday. Juanes Fajardo highlights UNF's All-Conference award winners garnering Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, while teammates Joshua Castellanos, Adrian Nunez and Micah Smoak were also listed on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
"I am humbled at the respect we have received from the other coaches in our conference," head coach Derek Marinatos said. "It is an honor to receive preseason recognition for our returning players as well as our team as we complete our preseason and get ready for the regular season."
The Ospreys were picked to finish second in back-to-back preseason coaches polls after winning the 2016 ASUN Men's Soccer Regular Season title. UNF has also won back-to-back regular season crowns and have not lost a conference match during that stretch.
Fajardo, a second team All-Conference selection in 2016, made 10 starts for the Ospreys last year. He went undefeated in conference play, posting a 3-0-1 record in his matches. The Osprey goalkeeper led the league with a 0.61 goals against average and posted a .909 save percentage versus conference opponents.Â
For the second-consecutive season, Castellanos earns ASUN Preseason All-Conference honors for the Ospreys. The senior midfielder was a 2016 First Team All-Conference selection after helping North Florida to back-to-back regular season titles. He scored three goals, including the game-winning tally at N.C. State, a year ago.Â
Nunez, the 2016 ASUN Freshman of the Year made an instant impact with the Ospreys last season. He led UNF with seven goals and four assists and ranked fourth in the ASUN with 18 total points. Six of his seven tallies came against ASUN competition, as his scoring led the Ospreys to a second-straight regular season title.Â
After earning Second Team All-Conference honors in 2016, Smoak returns to lead the Ospreys defense in 2017. He earned one ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honor last year, while also featuring prominently on the offensive side. The senior from Melbourne, Fla. scored four goals, tied for 10th in the conference, with eight shots on target last season.
The Ospreys open their campaign on Aug. 25 hosting the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament. North Florida welcomes Campbell to Hodges Stadium to kick-off the tournament on Friday night before taking on UNC Wilmington on Sunday Aug. 27.Â
| Team (First Place Votes) | Â Points |
| 1. FGCU (5) | 43 |
| 2. North Florida | 36 |
| 3. Lipscomb | 35 |
| 4. Jacksonville (2) | 34 |
| 5. NJIT | 22 |
| 6. Stetson | 18 |
| 7. USC Upstate | 8 |
