Before a season gets underway, it's natural to wonder which teams are going to vie for the title. This can be accomplished by guessing from afar, but a more-effective approach is getting thoughts from coaches, those who know their league and players best.
Ahead of the 2018 NEPSAC boys soccer season, New England Soccer Journal has taken the latter approach, polling the league's coaches to preview which teams could have strong campaigns. We'll have a weekly top 10 poll throughout the season, though a preseason top 15 is included below. Several honorable mention programs are listed, as are each program's point totals for the sake of transparency.
Unsurprisingly, regulars atop Class A and Class B – Loomis Chaffee, Berkshire, South Kent, Taft and others – polled high, a testament to their reputation and ability to recruit top-level players. Case and point: Before a single ball is kicked in NEPSAC soccer, nearly 30 seniors are committed to Division 1 programs.
Throughout the fall, other prep school coverage will include recruiting updates, magazine/digital features, tournament coverage, showcase roundups, photo galleries and more.
