UNCW men headed for title defense in 2010

This continues our series of daily articles previewing each men's and women's college conference. All the conference previews can be found here.

The top of the CAA conference is stacked, but the defending champs have only gotten better. Who has a chance to steal the conference crown from UNCW? Here’s a look at every CAA team’s chances in 2010.

Two-time defending champion UNC Wilmington enters 2010 as a heavy favorite, with confidence and continuity on their side. The Seahawks return 10 starters, including all-conference midfielders Etienne Boulanger and Daniel Roberts, defender Indy Smith and goalkeeper Brock Duckworth, giving them a distinct advantage over the CAA competition.

Old Dominion could take a dip after losing five starters from its 11-5-2 squad in 2009, and coach Alan Dawson hopes goalkeeper Evan Newton and forwards Yannick Smith and Shane Howard have enough experience to keep Big Blue on track.

Not far removed from a CAA title in 2008, George Mason knows what it takes to make a championship run. Senior forwards Victor Freeman and Ernesto Marquez will try to rekindle the spirit of 2008 and, with the help of talented youngsters like defender Ryan Reichmann, challenge for the title this fall.

After earning second place in the CAA tournament each of the past two years, Northeastern is hungry to take the next step. Defender Santiago Bedoya and forward Don Anding – last year’s Rookie of the Year – have the Huskies motivated to prove their worth in 2010.

Senior midfielder Nat Baako and junior forward Alan Koker will lead the 2010 charge for William and Mary(m) (8-2-1 overall in 2009), but will need to find a way to replace departed seniors Andre Hoxie and Roger Bothe to build on the feats of 2009.

A solid team in 2009 (6-3-2 in conference play) Hofstra will struggle to replace standout seniors Rob Youhill, Richard Martinez and Jamal Neptune. Expect the Pride to take a dip.

James Madison senior midfielder C.J. Sapong is a preseason candidate for CAA Player of the Year honors, after his meteoric rise during his junior season in 2009. He can’t do it all by himself, though, and it remains unclear which of his Duke teammates will step up to provide some support.

Despite finishing with identical 4-7 conference records in 2009, Towson and Delaware appear headed in opposite directions in 2010. The play of seniors Marco Mangione and Scott Harta gives Towson good reason for optimism, while Delaware has yet to find a replacement for departed senior leader Darren Christie.

The 2009 season was uninspiring for fans of VCU and Georgia State, after their teams finished with 5-10-2 and 4-11-1 records, respectively. VCU sophomore Carlos Picado and Georgia State’s Vincent Foermer will need to make a big splash for the Rams and Panthers to have a chance in 2010.

Drexel (1-9-1) was only marginally worse than VCU and Georgia in 2009, but loses all-conference midfielder Fabio Assumpcao to graduation. Unless some of the underclassmen distinguish themselves early on, the Dragons’ prospects in 2010 look bleak.