LANCASTER, PA - The Johns Hopkins men's soccer team grabbed four first-place votes and 76 total points to earn the top spot in the 2019 Centennial Conference Preseason Men's Soccer Poll of head coaches it was announced today. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
 
Defending champion Haverford follows closely in second place with four first-place votes and 70 points. Franklin & Marshall (67 points, 1 first-place vote), Dickinson (61 points, 1 first-place vote) and Gettysburg (51 points) round out the top five.
 
Hopkins returns nine starters, including a trio of All-Centennial Conference and All-Mid-Atlantic selections in senior Achim Younker and juniors Xander LeFevre and Connor Jacobs. The Blue Jays advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 13-5-2 record in 2018. Also returning are juniors Pablo Martinez and Alejandro Maclean, who led Hopkins with six goals each.
 
JHU opens the 2019 campaign on Friday, August 30 at the UMW Classic against Hampden-Sydney. The game is slated for a 2:30 pm start.

2019 Centennial Conference Preseason Field Hockey Poll
Rk.    School (1^st place votes) – Points (2018 record)
1.     Johns Hopkins (4) – 76 (13-5-2, 7-2-0 CC)
2.     Haverford (4) – 70 (14-4-1, 8-1-0 CC)
3.     Franklin & Marshall (1) - 67 (14-4-3, 5-1-3 CC)
4.     Dickinson (1) – 61 (11-6-2, 5-3-1 CC)
5.     Gettysburg – 51 (8-8-1, 5-4-0 CC)
6.     Swarthmore – 39 (9-7-1, 4-4-1 CC)
7.     Muhlenberg – 35 (7-8-2, 3-5-1 CC)
8.     Washington College – 23 (6-8-3, 2-5-2 CC)
9.     McDaniel – 19 (6-7-3, 1-6-2 CC)
10.   Ursinus – 9 (0-13-3, 0-9-0 CC)