2017 PacWest Men’s Soccer Poll
1.	California Baptist (5)	173
2.	Concordia (2)	166
3.	Dixie State (5)	156
4.	Point Loma	148
5.	Notre Dame de Namur	132
5.	Azusa Pacific (1)	132
7.	Fresno Pacific	130
8.	Hawai’i Pacific	116
9.	Biola	82
10.	Dominican (1)	65
11.	Academy of Art	50
12.	Chaminade	49
13.	Holy Names	44
14.	Hawai’i Hilo	27
First-place votes in parenthesis

2017 Men's Soccer Preseason All-PacWest Team

IRVINE, Calif. – After getting an early start to preseason training with a 10-day trip to the state of Baja California, California Baptist is the PacWest Preseason favorite to win its first conference title since 2011.
 
Notre Dame de Namur’s senior forward Esteban Berumen is the Preseason PacWest Player of the Year. Berumen scored 15 goals with six assists last season to lead the Argonauts to their third-consecutive season with a winning record in conference play.
 
The 2017 Preseason PacWest Defender of the Year is senior Bryan Baugh from Dixie State. Baugh led the Trailblazer defense to an average of less than one goal allowed per game in the 2016 season as Dixie State won the conference title with a perfect record of 13-0.
 
Senior Bernd Buescherhoff from Chaminade was picked by the coaches as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year after registering 75 saves and four shutouts last year.


California Baptist went 8-5 in PacWest play in 2016 for a fourth-place finish. The Lancers received five of the 14 first-place votes and four players earned Preseason All-PacWest nods.
 
Senior forwards Joey Chica and Aidan Apodaca lead the Lancers’ offense. Chica, a transfer from Cal State Dominguez Hills, was the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s 2016 Offensive Player of the Year; while Apodaca tallied 22 points last year, ranking fifth in the PacWest. Senior midfielder Hugo Gutierrez also received Preseason All-PacWest recognition along with senior defender Abe Placito. The pair helped hold opponents to a 1.17 goals-against average.
 
Concordia will be looking to build off its 10-3 record in PacWest play in 2016 as the Eagles enter their first year of NCAA playoff eligibility. With two first-place votes, CUI is picked second in the preseason poll. Senior forward Connor Gordon recorded 14 goals and six assists in 2016, ranking third in the conference in points. The Eagles also return their second-leading goal scorer in sophomore Jose Huerta, who scored five times in 11 games as a freshman.
 
Since dropping the 2015 season finale in a battle for a share of the regular season title with Fresno Pacific, Dixie State have not lost a PacWest contest. This year, the Trailblazers are picked third, but received five first-place votes. Defending PacWest Freshman of the Year Moises Medina joins Baugh and two other Trailblazers on the Preseason All-PacWest team. Sophomore defender Angel Estrada and midfielder Gabby Medina also earned recognition.
 
Point Loma is looking to pick up where it left off after winning four-consecutive road games to finish the year and scoring 17 goals in the last six games of the year. The Sea Lions are picked fourth and is represented by senior forward Eduardo Gallardo on the Preseason All-PacWest Team. Gallardo led PLNU with six assists in 2016.
 
With the Preseason Player of the Year on its roster, Notre Dame de Namur was picked to finish in a tie for fifth place. Berumen is joined on the Preseason All-PacWest Team by senior defender Robert Hines and junior forward Naia Graham. The Argonauts thrived at home last year with a 5-2 record, scoring 16 goals in those seven games.
 
Azusa Pacific is the other team in the tie for fifth place after receiving one first-place vote. The Cougars will be looking to return to the form that saw them win the 2014 PacWest title and earn the right to host their half of the NCAA West Regional.
 
The 2013 and 2015 PacWest Champion Fresno Pacific is picked seventh. The Sunbirds have finished in the top five of the conference standings every year since joining the conference in 2012. They are followed by Hawai`i Pacific in eighth. The Sharks recorded a winning record in PacWest play at 6-5-2 last season.
 
Biola will be competing in the PacWest for the first time this season and is picked ninth. The Eagles went 10-6-1 last year as a member institution in the NAIA and finished in sixth place in the GSAC standings. Biola has recorded a winning record in each of the last six seasons.
 
Dominican is picked 10th with one first-place vote followed by Academy of Art in 11th. Chaminade tallied five PacWest wins last year and is picked 12th with Holy Names and Hawai`i Hilo rounding out the preseason poll.
 
The 2017 season will begin on Aug. 31 with nine of the teams in action, including Biola taking on 2016 national semifinalist UC San Diego.