Rock Hill, S.C. – The Big South Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Men's Soccer Honors and annual preseason poll Wednesday afternoon.
Winthrop was voted to finish in a tie for 5
th with Longwood, both a single vote behind Presbyterian in 4
th.
The Eagles garnered four preseason honors highlighted by
Diego Candia being voted the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Candia was chosen to the Preseason All-Conference Team along with
Ricardo Ferreira and
Rodrigo Ferreira.
Candia anchors a back line that returns all four starters from the 2023 squad. Candia played in all 14 games he started and finished with a goal and assist while logging the third most minutes on the team (1,099).
Ricardo Ferreira led the Eagles in goals (6) and points (12) and was rewarded by being named First Team All-Big South. He tied for first in the Big South in goals and was 8
th overall in points.
Rodrigo Ferreira started all 13 games he played last season and finished with a goal and three assists, tied for 4
th on the team with five points.
Rodrigo Ferreira also received All-Big South recognition in 2023.
High Point is the favorite to finish first in 2024, receiving 7-of-8 first place votes. UNC Asheville is second followed by Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian College, Winthrop, Longwood, USC Upstate and Radford.
The 2024 Big South Conference Championship has expanded back to six teams this season. The top six teams in the final Big South standings will qualify for the 2024 Big South Men's Soccer Championship, which is scheduled for Nov. 6 (First Round), Nov. 10 (Semifinals) and Nov. 16 (Championship Final), with every match to be contested at the home site of the higher seed. The champion receives the Big South's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
To keep up with the latest news on the Winthrop men's soccer program follow the Eagles on X (@Winthropsoccer), Instagram (@winthropsoccer) and Facebook (/WinthropUniversitySoccer)
2024 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F: Damorney Hutchinson, Presbyterian College (Preseason Offensive Player of the Year)
F:
Ricardo Ferreira, Winthrop
F: Aysa Hamid, UNC Asheville
MF: Jefferson Amaya, High Point (Preseason Midfielder of the Year)
MF: Carson Griffith, Presbyterian College
MF: Brendan Herb, UNC Asheville
MF: Conor Behan, UNC Asheville
D:
Diego Candia, Winthrop (Preseason Defensive Player of the Year)
D: Myles Edmondson, UNC Asheville
D: Max Fisher, Gardner-Webb
D: Leo Andrade, Gardner-Webb (tie)
D: Elijah Jackson, USC Upstate
GK: Charlie Farrar, UNC Asheville (Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year)
AL:
Rodrigo Ferreira, MF, Winthrop
2024 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON MEN'S SOCCER POLL
| Rk - School (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 - High Point (7) |
62 |
| 2 - UNC Asheville |
51 |
| 3 - Gardner-Webb |
48 |
| 4 - Presbyterian College |
31 |
| T-5 - Winthrop |
30 |
| T-5 - Longwood |
30 |
| 7 - USC Upstate (1) |
28 |
| 8 - Radford |
8 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 8 points, followed by 7 points for second-place, and so on.
