Aug. 10, 2011

Newport News, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced coaches' predictions and the preseason All-Conference teams this afternoon with Fordham selected to finish fourth in the 14-team league, while senior goalkeeper Ryan Meara was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference team for the third straight year.

Charlotte, Saint Louis and Xavier were picked as the top three teams in the league, followed by Fordham and Temple, who tied for fourth, while St. Bonaventure is sixth. Three-time champion Dayton is seventh and 2010 runner-up La Salle is eighth. Massachusetts is ninth, followed by Duquesne, Richmond, Rhode Island, George Washington and Saint Joseph's.

The Rams return 10 of 11 starters from a year ago, which includes All-Atlantic 10 performers, Meara and midfielder Tim Richardson. Richardson tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points, along with fellow senior midfielder John McHugh.

The six-team A-10 Men's Soccer Championship will be held Nov. 10-13 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on the campus of Saint Louis University. The Billikens will host the Championship for the first time since 2005, SLU's first season in the league.

Just a few days after being listed as one of the top professional prospects in college soccer by TopDrawerSoccer.com, Meara earns his third selection on the preseason All-Conference team, after another stellar season in 2010. A two-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 and NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic selection, he played all but eight minutes last season in 18 starts. He posted career-highs in wins (10), save percentage (.808), and goals against average (0.81). His goals against average ranked as the third-best single season mark at Fordham.

Meara also had 6.5 shutouts last season, bringing his career total to 22, just five shy of the Fordham career record of 27, held by Jeff Knuth.

2011 ATLANTIC 10 MEN'S SOCCER PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH (2010 overall record/A-10 record in parentheses)
1. Charlotte (13-5-1/8-1)
2. Saint Louis (9-7-3/5-3-1)
3. Xavier (10-7-4/5-4-0)
T4. Fordham (10-8/5-4)
Temple (8-9-2/6-3-0)
6. St. Bonaventure (10-8-1/5-3-1)
7. Dayton (7-8-3/3-4-2)
8. La Salle (9-7-3/6-2-1)
9. Massachusetts (5-5-8/4-2-3)
10. Duquesne (8-7-3/4-4-1)
11. Richmond (5-12-1/4-5-0)
12. Rhode Island (3-13-2/1-7-1)
13. George Washington (3-15/1-8)
14. Saint Joseph's (2-15/1-8)