Aug. 10, 2011
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Notre Dame senior defender Aaron Maund (Dorchester, Mass./The Roxbury Latin School) along with junior midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) were named to the 2011 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for men’s soccer in a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Irish duo was among 12 players named to the squad.
Notre Dame was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Blue Division, while Connecticut was tabbed to win the division. The Huskies received 10 first-place votes among the eight Blue Division squads, while the Irish garnered two. Louisville was picked to win the Red Division. The league’s 16 head coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
The Fighting Irish posted a 10-6-4 overall record in 2010 and finished second in the BIG EAST Blue Division with a 6-2-1 league mark. The Irish were semifinalists at the BIG EAST Championship and garnered the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Championship. Notre Dame fell to Dartmouth, 2-1, in overtime during the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Maund and Powers both garnered second-team all-BIG EAST honors last season. They will serve as team captains for the Irish in 2011 along with fifth-year senior Greg Klazura.
Junior midfielder Dillon Powers
|
 |
Maund has started all 59 matches in which he has played during his Notre Dame career. The central defender notched one goal and two assists last season. For his career, Maund has seven points on two goals and three assists. Along with earning second-team all-BIG EAST honors last season, he copped third-team all-league accolades as a sophomore. Maund also was named to the All-Great Lakes Region third team in 2009 and 2010. Powers has played in 38 matches, including 24 starts, during his first two seasons with the Irish. He started every contest last season and ranked second on the team in goals (4) and points (12). The midfielder has 17 career points on four goals and nine assists.
Louisville’s Colin Rolfe and Connecticut’s Tony Cascio were selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year. Louisville’s Austin Berry was tabbed as the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while his teammate Andre Boudreaux was picked as the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
The Fighting Irish are ranked 11th in the College Soccer News preseason poll, while they are 12th according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Notre Dame begins practice for the 2011 campaign on Thursday. The Irish will face Xavier in their exhibition opener on Aug. 16 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Notre Dame will take to the Alumni Stadium pitch for the first time on Aug. 22 in an exhibition against Creighton. That match is slated for a 7:00 p.m. (ET) start. The Irish will open the regular season Aug. 27 in a home match versus Indiana. That game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (ET).
2011 BIG EAST MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL 2010 2010 2010 BIG EASTBlue Division Points Overall BIG EAST Regular Season Finish
1. Connecticut (10) 110 12-2-6 5-1-3 3rd 2. Notre Dame (2) 102 10-6-4 6-2-1 2nd 3. West Virginia (3) 89 11-8-2 5-4-0 4th 4. Georgetown (1) 88 12-6-2 7-2-0 1st 5. Providence 67 13-6-3 4-4-1 5th 6. Marquette 53 7-8-4 3-4-2 6th 7. Seton Hall 35 3-13-1 1-8-0 8th 8. Pittsburgh 24 6-9-2 1-6-2 7th
2010 2010 2010 BIG EAST Red Division Points Overall BIG EAST Regular Season Finish 1. Louisville (15) 120 20-1-3 9-0-0 1st 2. USF (1) 98 9-6-4 4-3-2 T-3rd 3. St. John’s 93 10-6-2 4-3-2 T-3rd 4. Villanova 73 8-8-3 4-3-2 T-3rd 5. Cincinnati 70 7-5-7 5-1-3 2nd 6. Rutgers 45 4-11-1 1-8-0 T-7th 7. DePaul 40 4-10-5 1-5-3 6th 8. Syracuse 29 2-10-5 0-6-3 T-7th
2011 BIG EAST PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year Tony Cascio, Connecticut Colin Rolfe, Louisville
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Austin Berry, Louisville
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Boudreaux, Louisville
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^ GK Andre Boudreaux, Louisville B Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Connecticut B Austin Berry, Louisville B Aaron Maund, Notre Dame B Raymon Gaddis, West Virginia MF Carlos Alvarez, Connecticut MF Ian Christianson, Georgetown MF Dillon Powers, Notre Dame F Tony Cascio, Connecticut* F Antonio Aguilar, DePaul F Steve Neumann, Georgetown F Colin Rolfe, Louisville*
*unanimous selection ^extra member added due to voting ties
–ND–