The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released the annual NCAA Division III Preseason Poll with the Dominican University Stars claiming the fourth spot in the annual poll behind national champion Messiah College, national runner-up Calvin College and Williams College. Christopher Newport University rounds out the national top five.
The Stars went 19-2-3 last year, with victories over Loras College (#7) and Whitworth College (#12) in the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship to claim the program’s first appearance in the national final four. This year, the Stars return Mario Napiorkowski (Norridge, Ill.) and Michael Kapusta (Bartlett, Ill.), both named to the NSCAA All-Region Team last season, along with goalkeeper Maxwell Gutbrod (Slinger, Wis.).
Napiorkowski, a 5-10 defender, returns for his junior season after garnering NSCAA All-America Honors in 2009. Napiorkowski, Gutbrod and the rest of the Stars’ defense, posted a 0.41 goals against average last season with 14 shutouts.
Kapusta, a 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament selection, returns for his senior season after leading the Stars with 29 points as a junior in 2009. The 6-foot, Bartlett-native, tallied a team-best 11 assists and shared the team lead with nine goals. Offensively, the Stars also return forwards Edwin Lagunas (Waukegan, Ill.) and Ryan Roberts (Elmhurst, Ill.), the 2008 and 2009 NAC Freshmen of the Year respectively. Lagunas shared team-high honors with Kapusta with nine goals while Roberts tallied eight goals on the season including a pair of goals in the national tournament.
The Stars kickoff the 2010 campaign on Wednesday, September 1, when the North Park University Vikings visit the Stars in River Forest. In addition to the usual Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) opponents, non-conference matchups with University of Chicago, Wheaton College, Elmhurst College, Wartburg College and Loras highlight the Stars’ schedule. In fact, of the Stars' seven non-conference opponents in 2010, five were in the 2009 Division III National Tournament.
