Choctaws Top GSC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
Joshua Davies (Photo Courtesy of Shreve Bland/Mississippi College Athletics)
By Datti Jinkiri
The men’s soccer coaches of the Gulf South Conference have picked the Mississippi College Choctaws men’s soccer team to win the conference this season. The Choctaws sit at the summit the preseason poll with 105 points and were followed closely by West Florida, Auburn Montgomery, Lee, and Union.
The Choctaws lead the conference with four Preseason All-GSC selections. Defenders Aurele Chemin and Joshua Davies, as well as goalkeeper Alejandro Chavarria and midfielder Abel Perez each made the team.
Chemin (Paris, France) and Davies (Southampton, England) started five matches apiece in the spring and anchored a defensive unit that tallied four shutouts. Chavarria (Madrid, Spain) is a 2019 First Team All-GSC selection who will enter this season with 13 shutouts and an 84.4 percent save rate in his Choctaw career. Perez (Madrid, Spain) is arguably the fulcrum of the team and has 45 starts in his career.
The Choctaws competed in the GSC Spring Championship Series last season, finishing at the top of Group A. They defeated in-state rival Delta State 6-0 in the quarterfinals before falling to Christian Brothers 3-1 in the semifinals. In the team’s last full season in 2019, the Choctaws finished with a 9-2-5 record and won their second-ever GSC Regular Season Championship.
The Choctaws will open the 2021 season with a September 2nd match in Fort Lauderdale, Florida against Nova Southeastern University.
