DENVER - (Aug. 16) Seattle University men’s soccer has been picked to finished third in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) preseason coaches’ poll, released Tuesday morning. Junior Nathan Aune is the WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, as he and Sergio Rivas were selected to the All-WAC Preseason Team.
Defending WAC champion UNLV was the choice at the top of the poll, earning first-place votes and a total of 90 points. Utah Valley garnered three first-place nods and 89 points for second place. SU checked in at third, receiving three first-place votes and finished with 87 points in the rankings. Air Force and Grand Canyon rounded out the top five.
Aune, a junior from Arlington, Wash., started 18 games on the back line last season, helping the Redhawks post five shutouts and allow just five goals in 10 conference outings. The 6-4 defender follows Kyle Bjornethun, who was a two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Rivas, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., recorded four goals and five assists from his midfield spot in 2016. The junior started all 19 games last year.
In 2016, Seattle U won 11 games and took second in the WAC regular season standings. It extended its home winning streak to 16 games, the longest active streak in Division I. It hosts British Columbia in an exhibition game on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 1 p.m.