Montclair, NJ (8/16/10)  - Having won four consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference championships, the Montclair State men’s soccer team is in a familiar spot in the 2010 Preseason Coaches’ Poll as the Red Hawks were picked No. 1 in the voting results released on Monday.

Montclair earned six of the 10 first-place votes from the league’s coaches. Rutgers-Newark (one first-place vote), Richard Stockton (one first-place vote), Rowan (two first-place votes) and Rutgers-Camden round out the Top 5 in the poll. It is the third time in the last four years that MSU sits atop the preseason poll. Last year, Montclair was picked second behind Richard Stockton.

Montclair State is coming off a 17-2-2 campaign, including a 7-1-1 mark in the NJAC. The Red Hawks knocked off Rutgers-Newark in the semifinals of the NJAC Tournament before edging Rowan 1-0 in the championship game for their fourth straight title. Montclair, which also set a new NCAA All-Divisions record for consecutive home wins in 2009, became the first team in nearly a quarter-century to win four consecutive NJAC championships.

Since the beginning of the 2006 season, Montclair has gone 77-7-5 overall which includes an incredible 32-3-1 mark in the NJAC. Including the conference tournament, MSU has won 41 of its last 45 contests versus league opponents.

The Red Hawks open up their 2010 season on Wednesday, September 1 as they head to Kings Point, NY to take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Montclair will then take part in the Lycoming Kickoff Classic over the Labor Day weekend before making its home debut on Wednesday, September 8 against New York City Tech at MSU Soccer Park.