MEN’S SOCCER TABBED FIFTH IN MPSF PRESEASON COACHES POLL 8/17/2009 WOODLAND, Calif. - The Sacramento State men’s soccer team was selected to finish fifth by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s eight coaches in a preseason poll announced earlier today. Sacramento State enters the 2009 campaign with seven returning starters from a club that posted an 8-9-2 mark a season ago. 21st year head coach Michael Linenberger returns first team all-MPSF honoree Fernando Cabadas, a dynamic midfielder who recorded two goals and an assist a season ago. Junior Ernesto Carranza (2 goals, 3 assists) and sophomore cousins Chris (3 goals, 2 assists) and Adam (2 goals) Bettencourt also return, looking to build on productive 2008 scoring campaigns. The Hornets return three experienced keepers who will fight for the starting position in seniors Nick Gargiulo and Ryan Kenny, and sophomore Bryan Oliver. Oliver saw the majority of the time last season as a true freshman due to injuries, posting a 5-5-2 record with five clean sheets. Top newcomers include JUCO All-American defender Diego Marroquin, top level strikers Max Alvarez and David Norton, and defender Matt Linenberger, the son of the Hornets head coach. The conference has added two teams, Seattle and Cal State Bakersfield for the 2009 season, drastically changing the MPSF schedule. Instead of round-robin play, which the conference had been using since 2004, each team will play one game against each of the seven other squads, in an attempt to finish in the top four to make the MPSF postseason tournament. The tournament will be held on the home field of the Denver Pioneers, who become the first school since Sacramento State in 2003 to host the tournament. Denver received five of the eight first place votes available, earning 47 points in the poll to eek out New Mexico, who was tabbed second with 44 points and the remaining three first place votes. San Jose State and UNLV were selected third and fourth, followed by the Hornets, Seattle, Air Force and Cal State Bakersfield. Sacramento State opens up exhibition play when they host Holy Names on Saturday, August 22 at 11 a.m.