compliments of www.thesunconference.com
TAMPA, Fla. – With the addition of two-time NAIA National Championship head coach Alex Nichols, the Florida Memorial Lions were picked to finish fifth (23 points) out of eight teams in the 2023 Preseason Coaches' Poll, selected by the league's head coaches.
The Seahawks of Keiser University have been voted to claim The Sun Conference (SUN) Men's Soccer Regular Season Championship.
Keiser, the defending regular season and tournament champions, total 49 points in the poll and received five first-place votes. St. Thomas is just behind in the second-place spot, collecting 45 points and the other three first-place votes.
Selected to finish third is Southeastern with 37 points. Rounding out the top-5 is SCAD-Savannah (24 points) and Florida Memorial (23 points). Webber International is slated sixth with a total of 21 points.
Warner and Ave Maria complete the preseason poll with 16 and 11 points.
The FMU Lions kick off the season on Sunday, August 20 as they host Florida National for the season opener. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at newly renovated Dr. Lester Brown Park.
Conference play begins Wednesday, September 12 with the conference tournament to begin Saturday, November 4. Scores for all games can be found on
The Sun Scoreboard and you can tune into SUN live action on
The Sun Digital Network.
| 2023 SUN CONFERENCE MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL |
| Pos. |
Team |
Points (First Place Votes) |
2022 SUN Record |
2022 Overall Record |
| 1. |
Keiser |
47 (5) |
7-1 |
13-1-3 |
| 2. |
St. Thomas |
45 (3) |
6-0-2 |
11-2-5 |
| 3. |
Southeastern |
37 |
5-2-1 |
11-4-4 |
| 4. |
SCAD-Savannah |
24 |
3-5 |
5-11 |
| 5. |
Florida Memorial |
23 |
2-4-2 |
3-8-4 |
| 6. |
Webber International |
21 |
4-3-2 |
10-4-1 |
| 7. |
Warner |
16 |
1-7 |
5-10 |
| 8. |
Ave Maria |
11 |
0-8 |
4-10 |
See below for this year's Sun Conference men's soccer Players to Watch.
Ave Maria
Rhys Lawlor
Senior | Powder Springs, Ga. | Goalkeeper
Lawlor kept the Gyrenes in numerous matches in 2022 thanks to his efforts in goal. The Georgia native became just the second player in program history to record more than 100 saves, recording 104. Lawlor saved ten or more shots in five matches, including a program record 21 saves in AMU's match with Webber International.
Florida Memorial
Burak Cuban
Sophomore | Chelles, France | Defender
Cuban is a leader figure from the back with a constant passion to perform at the highest level. He's a central defender who is calm on the ball, as well as a constant aerial threat in the opposition's box.
Keiser
Alessio Silva
Sophomore | Mexico | Midfielder
Silva will enter his second year with the Seahawks. Last season he appeared in eight games. As a freshman, he recorded the first goal of his collegiate career against Brewton-Parker.
SCAD-Savannah
Lewis Gamble
Graduate Student | Airdrie, Scotland | Midfielder
Gamble returns as the Bees captain and will lead the team this year.
Southeastern
Edoardo Venutolo
Graduate Student | Rome, Italy | Forward
Was named First Team All-Sun Conference last season as well as Sun Conference All-Tournament after tallying a team-best 28 points behind 12 goals and four assists.
St. Thomas
Franco Acerbi
Graduate Student | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Goalkeeper
Acerbi will be the captain of the team and the defense, returning as one of the nations best keepers having 13 shutouts last season and having a sun one goals against average.
Warner
Deven Ingley
Graduate Student | Gainesville, Fla. | Midfielder
2022 Champion of Character recipient, Deven Ingley, will be returning for his final season in the midfield to help solidify the attack for the Royals.
Webber International
Ruben Marquez
Sophomore | Caracas, Venezuela | Midfielder
Marquez is a highly technical player with a strong motor who plays box-to-box. Last season, he started 11 games as a freshman, had three assists, and one goal. His perspective of the game and his drive to make everyone better, including himself, makes him one of the top players to watch in The Sun Conference this season.
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