Men's Soccer unanimous favorite in NSAA Preseason Poll

MADISON, S.D. -- The Bellevue University men's soccer team has been picked to win a third-straight championship in the North Star Athletic Association Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced by the conference office earlier today.

Bellevue was the unanimous pick by the league's head coaches to win the 2017 NSAA title.

The Bruins collected all five first-place votes with 25 points to secure the top spot in the preseasons poll. Waldorf finished second with 19 points, followed by Jamestown in third (14 points). Viterbo tallied 10 points to place fourth in the poll while Presentation rounded out the poll in fifth with six points.

BU opens the 2017 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 19 in Oskaloosa, Iowa against William Penn at 5 p.m. They'll make their home debut on Wednesday, Sept. 13 against Briar Cliff at 5:30 p.m.

The 2016 edition of the Bruins posted a 12-6-2 overall record as they won at least 12 games for the third seasons in a row. In league play Bellevue posted a perfect 4-0-0 mark to win a third-straight regular-season league title before going on to claim their fourth-straight league tournament title with a 2-1 win over Waldorf.

The North Star men's soccer members will be affiliated with the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) when conference post-season play begins in November. There will be two automatic bids from the North Star/A.I.I. Unaffiliated Grouping.

The 2017 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship will be held from Nov. 27-Dec. 2 at the Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach, Fla. The Opening Round matches will be played on campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The 2017 NSAA Men's Soccer season will consist of four league games beginning on Saturday, Oct. 7 with Bellevue's first NSAA game coming against Viterbo at 3:30 p.m.