Kenny Jones - UT Tyler Men's Soccer (2011 Preseason)

The UT Tyler men's soccer team is expected to repeat as American Southwest Conference champions, it was announced by the ASC office this week after a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.

The Patriots, who went 12-3-6 (9-2-1 ASC) last season, totaled 434 points and 20 of the possible 30 first-place votes to be the favorites in the annual preseason poll.

Head coach Kenny Jones' Patriots are coming off a season in which they won their second conference title on their home field in the last three years and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

UT Tyler scored a league-high 44 goals in 2010, while allowing a league-low 11.

In addition to the team nod, Patriot Jake Urbaniak was chosen as the league's pre-season Defensive Player of the Year.

Urbaniak, a senior from Fort Worth spearheaded a unit that allowed a league-low 0.61 goals per game last season en route to claiming ASC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Urbaniak, who also chipped in five assists and two goals, was the MVP of the conference tournament.

Mississippi College, which went 13-5 overall (9-3 ASC) and reached the ASC title game last season, was picked as the runner-up with 388 points and four first-place votes.

Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-4-1, 9-3-1 ASC) was predicted for a third-place finish with 367 points. Texas-Dallas (12-5-2, 8-2-2 ASC), which won conference titles in 2004 and 2007, received 351 points to land in the fourth-place spot. Seven-time ASC champion Hardin-Simmons (11-6, 9-4 ASC) tallied 334 points and one first-place vote to be in the fifth position, while Howard Payne had 286 points to round out what would be the league's six teams to qualify for the ASC Championship Tournament.

New league member Centenary had 244 points and four first-place votes to be the seventh-place pick. LeTourneau (216 pts.) was eighth, followed by Schreiner (212 pts.) and 2002 ASC champion Texas Lutheran (205 pts.) to conclude the top 10 spots. Ozarks (174 pts.), which claimed the ASC crown in 2003, was eleventh, followed by Concordia Texas (134 pts.), East Texas Baptist (121 pts.), McMurry (86 pts.) and Louisiana College (37 pts.). McMurry had the final first-place vote.

The Patriots will be in action this Saturday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. for the 10th UT Tyler annual alumni game.

The first regular season home game will be Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. against LSU-Shreveport.

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