LA GRANDE, Ore. – With the Cascade Conference expanding to 14 teams for the 2015 season, Warner Pacific men's soccer was picked to finish 7th according to the CCC coaches poll released today by the conference office.

With 114 points in the poll, the Knights were one point behind College of Idaho and three back of Evergreen. WPC is under new leadership for the first time in 26 years, as new head coach Chris Thoms takes charge for the 2015 season. After a whirlwind recruiting season, he welcomes 16 new players to the program with a goal of exceeding expectations from day one.

Training camp is in full swing for the Knights, and coach Thoms is feeling out his roster and seeing where guys are with their fitness. "I really like the enthusiasm of our group," said Thoms. "Some guys did more over the summer to get ready for training than others, but they seem willing to put in the hard work to acheive the fitness that is needed."

Though he is embarking on his first season as a college coach, Thoms is aware of the challenges that lie ahead during a rough and tumble conference schedule. "We are facing many quality opponents, and we'll need to be at our best to get positive results. We won't concede anything on the field - we plan to be very competitive this year."

Coach Thoms stresses that Knight Soccer will be focused on more than just wins and losses. "I want the program to to be known for excellence in all areas. Our student-athletes will win soccer games, will excel in the classroom and graduate, and will conduct themselves with the highest character on and off the field."

Full release from the Cascade Conference

2015 CCC Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll

	Team	Points	2014 CCC	2014 Overall
1	Corban (9)	179	8-5-1	12-8-1
2	Northwest (2)	168	10-4-0	15-5-0
3	Great Falls (1)	167	N/A	17-3-0
4	Rocky Mountain (2)	151	N/A	11-10-0
5	Evergreen	118	9-4-1	9-8-1
6	College of Idaho	115	5-9-0	8-10-0
7	Warner Pacific	114	6-7-1	7-8-3
8	Carroll	109	N/A	6-11-1
9	Southern Oregon	90	N/A	N/A
10	Northwest Christian	72	3-10-1	4-12-2
11	Eastern Oregon	66	N/A	N/A
12	Oregon Tech	61	1-13-0	2-16-0
13	Walla Walla	25	N/A	2-11-0
14	Multnomah	23	N/A	0-13-0

first place votes in parentheses