James Madison Picked By Coaches As CAA Men's Soccer Favorite; Eight Teams Represented With Preseason All-Conference Selections

8/17/2021 1:59:00 PM

Miles McQuiggan

RICHMOND, Va. (August 17, 2021) – Three-time defending Colonial Athletic Association men’s soccer champion James Madison was voted by the CAA’s head coaches as the favorite to hoist the conference trophy again in 2021, as the results of the preseason poll and all-conference teams were announced Tuesday.

The Dukes collected two major preseason individual honors from the CAA coaches, as Axel Ahlander was voted CAA Preseason Co-Midfielder of the Year and Melker Anshelm earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors. Ahlander shared midfielder accolades with UNCW’s Jacob Evans, who was one of two honorees from the Seahawks along with Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Gabriel Perrotta. Drexel’s Chris Donovan was selected as Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

Ahlander earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors in the spring and was voted Most Outstanding Player at the CAA Championship. His goal in the CAA semifinal against Drexel helped push the match to PKs, in which he delivered the winning kick to advance the Dukes to the championship game. Anshelm helped anchor one of the nation’s top defenses, as the Dukes allowed four goals on the season and ranked second nationally in shutout percentage.

Evans helped lead a Seahawk squad that was ranked as high as No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches poll in the spring and opened the year unbeaten in its first seven matches. Perrotta was sixth nationally with six shutouts on the year. Donovan ranked seventh nationally in goals per game (0.80), 11^th in assists (0.60), and fifth in points (2.20) for a Drexel offense that was 11^th in scoring in the spring.

JMU garnered seven first-place votes in the preseason poll after a spring season that saw the Dukes earn their 15^th NCAA Tournament appearance and a first-round bye in the modified bracket. The Dukes enter the fall at No. 21 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll and earned three spots on the preseason all-conference team.

UNCW collected one first-place vote and a league-high four places on the preseason all-conference team. The Seahawks shut out six of their first seven opponents in the spring and matched their highest national ranking in program history. UNCW is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.

Hofstra secured one first-place vote following a spring season that included an appearance in the CAA Championship match. The Pride ranked 16^th nationally in scoring in 2020-21 and enter the fall with three honorees on the preseason all-conference list, including Matthew Vowinkel, who returns for a fifth year in Hempstead after an MLS SuperDraft selection in January.

Drexel made its first CAA Championship appearance since 2013 before its season ended in PKs against eventual champion JMU. The Dragons’ high-powered attack ranked 11^th in goals, eighth in assists, and ninth in points in the spring and featured two of the nation’s top seven goal scorers.

William & Mary limited opponents to six goals in its six spring matches and earned wins over George Mason and Charleston in March. Alexander Levengood secured a place on the preseason all-conference team, while goalkeeper Will Stack returns after being the only two-time CAA Rookie of the Week this spring.

Delaware was undefeated through its first four matches of a condensed, five-game spring season and went to double overtime in three of the five. Aron Adalsteinsson’s presence on the backline earned him All-CAA honors despite being held to three contests and subsequently earned him preseason all-conference honors.

Elon closed the spring on a high note with back-to-back wins to finish its season. Jeppe Jordoson takes his place on the preseason all-conference list to represent a Phoenix side that scored five goals in its final three contests. Elon returns a group defensively that gained a wealth of experience together in the spring.

Northeastern went to overtime in three of its four CAA contests and secured a draw against Hofstra in one of them. The Huskies are represented on the preseason All-CAA team by Timmy Ennin, who was a second-team all-conference selection in the spring.

Charleston closed its spring slate with a 1-0 win over No. 16 Coastal Carolina to wrap up a year in which seven of the Cougars’ eight matches were decided by one goal or less. The three ranked opponents faced by Charleston – in addition to a James Madison side that would be in the Top 25 a week later – were the most of any CAA team.

CAA men’s soccer competition begins Thursday, Aug. 26, with seven of nine conference teams in action. Preseason CAA favorite James Madison will host defending national champion and top-ranked Marshall on the season’s opening night.

2021 CAA MEN’S SOCCER PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

Team (1^st) Points

James Madison (7) 62
UNCW (1) 55
Hofstra (1) 48
Drexel 47
William & Mary 35
Delaware 29
Elon 24
Northeastern 14
Charleston 10

2021 CAA MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Preseason All-Conference                                        Cl.          Pos.       Hometown / High School
Chris Donovan, Drexel                                                Sr.          F             Paoli, Pa. / Conestoga
Matthew Vowinkel, Hofstra                                      Sr.          F             New Hyde Park, N.Y. / Chaminade
Timmy Ennin, Northeastern                                      Jr.           F             Hartford, Conn. / The Masters School
Jeppe Jordoson, Elon                                                   Jr.           M           Haderslev, Denmark
Storm Strongin, Hofstra                                             Sr.          M           Hicksville, N.Y. / Hicksville
Axel Ahlander, James Madison                                So.         M           Duken, Norway / Wang Toppidrett Tønsberg
Jacob Evans, UNCW                                                     Sr.          M           Chester, England / West Cheshire College
Colton Pleasants, UNCW                                           Jr.           M           Raleigh, N.C. / Crossroads Flex
Alexander Levengood, William & Mary                  Jr.           M           Richmond, Va. / St. Christopher’s
Aron Adalsteinsson, Delaware                                 Jr.           D            Reykjavik, Iceland / Kopavogur
George O’Malley, Hofstra                                          Sr.          D            Harrow, England / Harrow School
Melker Anshelm, James Madison                           Sr.          D            Stockholm, Sweden / Oestra Reals Gymnasium
Tyler Clegg, James Madison                                      Sr.          D            Manassas, Va. / Forest Park
Michael Hornsby, UNCW                                           Sr.          D            Biberach an der Riss, Germany / Pestalozzi Gymnasium Biberach
Gabriel Perrotta, UNCW                                             Jr.           GK          Asuncion, Paraguay / Colegio Internacional

CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Chris Donovan, Drexel
CAA Preseason Co-Midfielder of the Year: Axel Ahlander, James Madison
CAA Preseason Co-Midfielder of the Year: Jacob Evans, UNCW
CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Melker Anshelm, James Madison
CAA Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year: Gabriel Perrotta, UNCW

Honorable Mention: Kyle Tucker, Sr., M, Drexel; Kasper Lehm, Jr., D, Elon; Jannik Videbaek, So., D, Elon; Wessel Speel, So., GK, Hofstra; Luca Erhardt, Sr., F, James Madison; Alex Krakowiak, So., M, James Madison; Ben Klingen, Sr., M, Northeastern; Jaden Strumeier, Jr., D, UNCW; Will Stack, So., GK, William & Mary

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