Cal Poly men's soccer team picked for second in division race

Big West Conference men's soccer coaches picked Cal Poly second in the preseason North Division poll on Wednesday behind rival UC Santa Barbara.

The Gauchos earned seven first-place votes and 30 overall points to finish ahead of Cal Poly (one first-place vote, 22 points), UC Davis (17 points) and Sacramento State (11 points).

UC Irvine edged CSUN for the top spot in the South Division preseason poll. The Anteaters earned five first-place votes and 26 points to top the Matadors, who received 22 points and two first-place votes.

Defending Big West Tournament champion Cal State Fullerton was picked third in the South, while UC Riverside, which won the South Division in 2014, was picked fourth.

Cal Poly placed three players on the 11-player all-conference preseason poll in senior goalkeeper Wade Hamilton and senior midfielders Chase Minter and Matt LaGrassa. All three players were on the Big West first team last year, with Minter named the Midfielder of the Year and Hamilton named the Goalkeeper of the Year.

Led by Minter and LaGrassa, the Mustangs were the conference's top scoring team last season with 72 total goals and 1.8 goals per match.

Cal Poly opens the season Aug. 29 when it hosts UNLV at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Cal Poly men's soccer team picked for second in division race."