Columns in order:
Adjusted RPI's 2015-17 (conference rating at top),
2018 non-conf. average RPI's and SOS's based on 2017,
2018 pre-season poll rankings
The Big West Conference has done away with the North/South Division alignment and 10-game schedule (home-and-home intra-division) and will conduct a 7-game round robin in 2018. The ringleader was supposedly UC Santa Barbara coach Tim Vom Steeg, who promptly scheduled conference rivals Cal Poly and UC Riverside into two of his now three extra slots. The conference will grow in two years when CSU Bakersfield jumps in from the WAC and UC San Diego begins a 4-year transition to Division I.
Cal State Fullerton usually flies under the radar until the conference tournament, but the Titans have won three of the last four auto bids under head coach George Kuntz. They return nine starters from last year’s squad, including a pair of first team all-conference returnees in seniors Ross McPhie (7 goals in 2017) and Samuel Goni (9 goals). Junior goalkeeper Paul-Andre Guerin is the reigning Big West Tournament MVP and owner of a 1.18 goals against average to go along with six shutouts in 2017.
UC Santa Barbara has seen its dominance of the Big West fade over the last two seasons, but Gaucho fans are encouraged by some stability on the roster. UCSB did lose Kevin Feucht to Duke, but picked up Hermann Trophy Watch candidate Faouzi Taieb from St. Francis Brooklyn and Vom Steeg's son Carson from Stanford to shore up the backline. Returning forwards Rodney Michael, Ignacio Tellechea and Noah Billingsley combined for 14 of the team’s 18 goals last season.
CSUN returns senior Henrik Regitnig, the 2017 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, as well as All-Freshman Team standout Daniel Trejo (7 goals in 2017). UC Davis boast two returning All-Big West First Team performers in senior Roy Boateng and sophomore Nabi Kibunguchy. Junior Adam Mickelson led the Aggies with 15 points last season.
The Big West Conference has done away with the North/South Division alignment and 10-game schedule (home-and-home intra-division) and will conduct a 7-game round robin in 2018. The ringleader was supposedly UC Santa Barbara coach Tim Vom Steeg, who promptly scheduled conference rivals Cal Poly and UC Riverside into two of his now three extra slots. The conference will grow in two years when CSU Bakersfield jumps in from the WAC and UC San Diego begins a 4-year transition to Division I.
Cal State Fullerton usually flies under the radar until the conference tournament, but the Titans have won three of the last four auto bids under head coach George Kuntz. They return nine starters from last year’s squad, including a pair of first team all-conference returnees in seniors Ross McPhie (7 goals in 2017) and Samuel Goni (9 goals). Junior goalkeeper Paul-Andre Guerin is the reigning Big West Tournament MVP and owner of a 1.18 goals against average to go along with six shutouts in 2017.
UC Santa Barbara has seen its dominance of the Big West fade over the last two seasons, but Gaucho fans are encouraged by some stability on the roster. UCSB did lose Kevin Feucht to Duke, but picked up Hermann Trophy Watch candidate Faouzi Taieb from St. Francis Brooklyn and Vom Steeg's son Carson from Stanford to shore up the backline. Returning forwards Rodney Michael, Ignacio Tellechea and Noah Billingsley combined for 14 of the team’s 18 goals last season.
CSUN returns senior Henrik Regitnig, the 2017 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year, as well as All-Freshman Team standout Daniel Trejo (7 goals in 2017). UC Davis boast two returning All-Big West First Team performers in senior Roy Boateng and sophomore Nabi Kibunguchy. Junior Adam Mickelson led the Aggies with 15 points last season.
More previews to come...follow links to rpiupdate.blogspot.com's daily scoreboards, team schedules, conference standings, NCAA Tournament projection and the most updated, accurately adjusted Division I men's soccer RPI rankings available.
