ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell men's soccer was picked to finish third in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll released by the league on Wednesday afternoon.

The Big Red, who return 20 letter winners and all 11 starters from the 2018 season, were picked behind Princeton and Dartmouth, who received 11 and three first place votes, respectively. Cornell garnered one first place vote alongside Columbia who was picked to finish fourth in the league.

Cornell concluded the 2018 season with an overall record of 11-6 alongside a 4-3 Ivy League record to mark its best season of the John Smith head coaching era. Hired in 2016, Smith has taken the program from a 1-14-2 record in his inaugural season to one of the top teams in the Ivy League in three years.

Senior John Scearce, junior Charles Touche and sophomores Emeka Eneli and Tate Keir highlight Cornell's returners with each earning postseason Ivy League honors in 2018. Touche was Cornell's lone representative on the first team following a season in which he led the team in scoring with 18 points on eight goals and two assists. Eneli is the reigning conference Rookie of the Year following a freshman campaign that saw him post seven goals and two assists. Scearce finished the season third in scoring with five goals and two assists, while Keir was an anchor in the Big Red defense as a member of the All-Ivy League second team.

Cornell opens 2019 with a trip to University of Michigan on Friday, September 6 at 5:00 p.m. prior to traveling through the Great Lakes State to play Michigan State on Sunday, September 8 at 3:00 p.m. Cornell returns to Charles F. Berman Field for its first home match of the year against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, September 14 at 5:00 p.m.
 
IVY LEAGUE MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1.    Princeton (11)
2.    Dartmouth (3)
3.    Cornell (1)
4.    Columbia (1)
5.    Yale
6.    Penn
7.    Brown
8.    Harvard