Sunshine State Conference

Barry Forecasted to Win a Third Consecutive SSC Men’s Soccer Title in 2024

08.14.24

Buccaneers aim for SSC title No. 7

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference men's soccer coaches tab Barry as the preseason favorite in 2024. With 95 points and five first-place votes in the poll, the Buccaneers are expected to win the program's seventh regular-season title.

Florida Tech narrowly lands in second place with 92 points and five first-place votes. Lynn pulls in 80 points to sit alone in third place. Rollins garners the final first-place vote and 73 points to anchor the fourth spot, while Nova Southeastern rounds out the Top-5 with 61 points. Tampa sits in the middle of the poll (57 points) and is followed in the voting by Palm Beach Atlantic (45 points) and Florida Southern (40 points). Saint Leo (29 points), Eckerd (17 points), and Embry-Riddle (16 points) occupy the final three positions in the poll.

2024 SSC MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE | SSC MEN’S SOCCER RECORDS

Barry won the program's sixth SSC regular-season title, second consecutive, after finishing the season with 27 points in conference play. The Buccaneers bested Florida Tech in the tournament finale to earn the program's third SSC postseason trophy. Barry is the first program to sweep the regular season and postseason tournament since 2019.

Barry, Florida Tech, and Lynn earned a berth into the 2023 NCAA Division II Postseason Tournament. Florida Tech and Barry earned a first round bye, while Lynn conquered Chowan in penalty kicks following a 2-2 tie. Florida Tech beat Lynn, 2-1, in a double-overtime thriller, as Barry demolished Lincoln Memorial by four goals. Florida Tech then outlasted West Florida in PKs after a 2-2 draw, and Barry fell, 2-1, to Limestone. The Panthers defeated Limestone, 3-2, in double overtime to advance to the final four. Florida Tech was eliminated, 1-0, by CSU Pueblo with a goal in the 107th minute of play.

Since 2010, 11 men's soccer teams have reached the national quarterfinals, and 10 have advanced to the national semifinals, including Florida Tech in 2023. Six teams have advanced to the national title game, with three walking away with a championship trophy. Lynn (3), Tampa (3), Florida Tech (2), and Barry (1) boast all nine of the SSC's men's soccer national championships. The most recent one came by Barry in 2018.

Last season, the league boasted eight All-American honors, the most since 2018. Additionally, the United Soccer Coaches named Florida Tech's Sjur Drechsler National Player of the Year. Drechsler (1st) and teammates Iker Bastida (1st) and Ettore Casadeai (2nd), along with Lynn's Lukas Rietzler (3rd), took home United Soccer Coaches accolades. Rietzler (2nd) also earned a D2CCA nod along with Barry's Iker Berruezo (2nd), David Polanco (3rd), and Rollins' Nazar Tsaruk (3rd).

Six teams open up the SSC non-conference season with matches on Thursday, September 5th. The conference schedule kicks off with four games on Saturday, September 21st. Florida Tech (No. 3), Barry  (No. 11), and Lynn (No. 19) represent the SSC in the 2024 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II preseason men's poll. The ranking was announced on Tuesday, August 6th.

Below are the full results of the 2024 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
 

 2024 SSC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL

   

See Also: SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions | 2023 Standings

 

Previous SSC Men’s Soccer Polls