The St. Lawrence University men's soccer team will open its 2012 season ranked No. 2 in the national rankings, as the Saints are picked in that spot in the NSCAA Preseason Poll. Defending champions Ohio Wesleyan earned the No. 1 slot, while Messiah, Rutgers-Camden and Trinity (Texas) rounded out the top five.

St. Lawrence, which finished eighth in the polls last December, is in search of its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance this fall. Last season, the team advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to Oneonta State 2-1 in double overtime. The loss, which knocked the Saints out of the tournament, was the team's only loss of the season as it finished 18-1-1.

St. Lawrence returns the majority of its scoring from last year's squad as All-American and D3Soccer.com Midfielder of the Year Sam DeMello, Second Team All-Conference forward Brian Gilloran and First Team Regional All-American Andrew Bednarsky lead the offense. Forwards Brendan Gorman, the program's eighth all-time leading scorer, and Dan Marvin will also return for their fourth years of eligibility after being forced to miss last season due to injury.

The Saints must replace several talented members of the class of 2012, including Regional All-Americans Mike Manfredi and Brian Abernethy. Manfredi played a key role in St. Lawrence's stifling defense at back, while Abernethy set several of the program's goaltending records and earned an NCAA Statistical Championship in goals against average last season (0.315).

The Saints begin preseason on Aug. 18th and open the 2012 campaign against Endicott on Aug. 31st in Potsdam, NY. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00pm.