Despite a 2014 regular season second place finish and claiming Capital Athletic Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference second place finishes; the Lions were picked to finish sixth in 2015.   Fortunately, they will have to prove their worth this season where it matters most, on the field.  

"To be honest I am not to interested in pre-season polls. We have got our goals and objectives for the season like everyone else", said head coach Seamus Donnelly. "We know from the last two season that it is an incredibly tough conference for example we have yet to beat Southern Virginia and Wesley even though they are ranked below us in the polls. What I will say is it's a fantastic conference in terms of the football played and how competitive every game is and we are just really looking forward to the challenges and to see where we end up."

WATCH: 2015 CAC Men's Soccer Preseason Webcast 

YORK, Pa. - - Defending champion Christopher Newport enters the 2015 campaign as the unanimous pick among CAC men's soccer coaches to once again hoist the championship trophy. The Captains totaled 81 points and nine first-place votes to sit atop the preseason coaches' poll, followed by Salisbury (71 points, 1 first-place vote), Mary Washington (60 points), York (53 points) and St. Mary's (47 points) in the top five.

Penn State Harrisburg (45 points) and Frostburg State (41) finished just behind St. Mary's in preseason voting, while Wesley (24 points), Marymount (15 points) and Southern Virginia (13 points) rounded out the poll.

Another highly-competitive season looms this fall after one of the most interesting seasons in conference history in 2014. Last year  witnessed five-time defending champion York miss out of the CAC playoffs for the first time ever, while Penn State Harrisburg jumped from last place all the way to the championship game before falling to CNU in the title showdown.

CNU and Salisbury aim to make repeat NCAA Tournament appearances this season after representing the conference in the postseason last fall. CNU's impressive NCAA run came to a halt in the Elite 8 with a penalty kick defeat to Ohio Wesleyan, while Salisbury fell to Rochester in the first round.

Below is a quick look at each team heading into the season, which begins for nine of the 10 CAC squads on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

After one of the most successful years in program history, CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT will look to defend its conference championship in 2015 while head coach Steve Shaw marks his 20th season at the helm. Shaw, ranked 15th among active coaches with a 72.4% winning percentage, will marry a veteran group on offense with a young, but talented defensive corps as the season begins on September 1. This season, CNU will need to recoup the loss of two All-Region starters, including CAC Player of the Year Jalon Brown, but nine of 2014's top eleven scorers return from the deadliest offense in program history. The Captains are ranked eighth in the NSCAA National Preseason Rankings.

FROSTBURG STATE, led by 14^th-year head coach Keith Byrnes, will be powered by a stellar defensive unit again in 2015 after posting some of the country's top numbers a year ago. Leading the way, will be senior defender Mitchell Muise and junior keeper Hassan Mostafa, who helped lead Frostburg to the nation's second-best save percentage (.909) and fifth-best goals against average (0.45). The Bobcats posted 10 shutouts last fall and Byrnes and his staff are confident that the '15 Bobcat squad can duplicate last year's success.

MARY WASHINGTON returns a young, talented squard from a year ago, and will look to again challenge for the CAC title. The Eagles welcome back All-CAC players Riley Fisher and Conor Nogueira, as wll as scoring leaders Jacob Burke and Ben Cisse. Defensively, the Eagles will look to goalie Matt Spencer, who started seven games as a freshman, as well as senior Mike Bennett and sophomore Colin Travis.

MARYMOUNT returns its top scorer in Ahmed Elmanialawy for the 2015 campaign, who found the back of the net eight times last season, as well as starting senior goalkeeper Logan Cropper, who turned away 114 shots while recording two blank sheets. Head coach Keith Moser has high expectations for the squad's potent offense led by senior Carlos Sanchez.  

After a fantastic season finishing 2nd in the CAC, PENN STATE HARRISBURG will look to prove its worth again in 2015.  With several key losses from last year's team, the Lions will lean on Aaron Kline, Alex Panuccio, and Brandon Hoover to all provide a pivotal part in repeating last season's success. Kline was a First Team All-CAC selection and Second Team ECAC All-Region.  Pannucio was a Second Team All-CAC performer while head coach Seamus Donnelly took CAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Lions to the CAC title game in just their second year in the conference. Penn State Harrisburg has plenty of new faces on the team and will look to their younger players to match the intensity the upper classmen brought to the successful 2014 campaign.

ST. MARY'S is coming off its first 10-win season since 2005 and returns most of its key players from last year's CAC semifinalist team. The Seahawks will be led on the pitch by three All-CAC selections in Andrew Battin, Alessandro Burlew, and Nick Tait. Burlew (6 G, 2 A), the reigning CAC Rookie of the Year, and Tait (6 G, 5 A) will command St. Mary's offensive efforts while Battin, along with keeper Zach Haussler (1.54 GAA), is expected to keep opponents from finding the back of the net.

SALISBURY comes into the 2015 campaign following a 2014 season that saw appearances in both the CAC and NCAA postseason tournaments. Offensively, the two biggest returners for the Sea Gulls are senior Matt Greene and sophomore Brooks Zentgraf. Despite missing time due to injury, Greene finished third on the team in points with 15, off five goals and five assists. Zentgraf is the second highest returning point scorer behind Greene, after an impressive freshman season saw the forward put home four goals and add an assist for nine points. In the midfield, Salisbury will look to veteran players such as Taylor Groginski, Michael Feeney, and Dennis Runikera to log serious minutes and control the middle of the field. On the defensive end, Salisbury returns senior goaltender Drew Staedeli, who was a second team All-CAC selection last season. Staedeli stopped an impressive .824 percent of the shots he faced and recorded a 0.64 GAA for the Sea Gulls last season. In front of Staedeli, senior defender Cy McNeillwill be a key to the success for Salisbury, as he is one of the most experienced members of the Sea Gull backline.

Second-year head coach Josh Patino looks to take SOUTHERN VIRGINIA to its first CAC tournament in 2015. With goal scorers Carlos Munoz and Josh Smith returning and Colin Flynn in goal the Knights have what is needed to improve upon last year's 6-14 record.

After just missing a CAC playoff berth in 2014, WESLEY will look to make its way back to the postseason this year. The Wolverines return a strong nucleus of players including defender R.J. Dina and midfielder Tobi Sowande, and will look to improve on last season's 8-8-1 record.

YORK returns to the pitch in 2015 with a new leader as former All-American Evan Scheffey takes over for long-time coach Mark Ludwig. Scheffey will rely on the Spartans' four returning All-CAC players to lead a young squad. Brendan and Chris Saberton, Ryan Donahue, and Greg Bechard will be expected to provide Scheffey's squad with leadership and stability. The Spartans who won five straight CAC Championships heading into last year enter this season looking to return to the conference tournament after failing to qualify for the first time in school history. York finished the season on a strong run at the end of last year as they went 3-0-1 in their last four games of the year. Scheffey returns eight of his top nine scorers from 2014. 

2015 CAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll