Richard Stockton College has been selected as the favorite to win the 2005 New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship in a preseason poll of the league’s ten head coaches. The defending NJAC Champion Ospreys will be seeking their sixth NJAC crown since 1996.

Stockton finished the 2004 season with an 18-4-3 overall record and advanced to the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ospreys, who captured the NJAC Tournament crown last season as the second seed, received five-of-the-ten first place votes cast by the coaches. Under the direction of eighth-year head coach Jeff Haines, Richard Stockton has posted an overall record of 129-32-10. 

The Ospreys return two all-conference forwards in senior Scott Adams and the 2005 NJAC Rookie of the Year, sophomore Jeremy Cohen. In addition, Stockton returns senior all-conference back Sean Cooney and sophomore all-conference midfielder Eric Lewis.

Rowan University finished second in the poll and also received two first place votes among the ten ballots cast. The 2003 NJAC Champions return the reigning NJAC Offensive Player of the Year in senior midfielder Nick Martinelli. The Profs placed first in the 2004 NJAC regular season, but fell to Stockton in last year's Tournament Championship Match, 2-0. Under the direction of 30th-year head coach Dan Gilmore, Rowan has posted an overall record of 471-110-40. In addition to Martinelli, the Profs return a pair of all-conference players in senior back Rich Dominiak and senior midfielder Brian Way.

Montclair State University placed third in the poll and received three first place votes. The Red Hawks finished the 2004 campaign with a 14-4-2 overall record and advanced to the semifinals on the NJAC Tournament. Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Brian Sentowski, Montclair has posted a 42-14-8 overall record. The Red Hawks return a conference-high six all-conference players in junior forward Ryan Morgan, senior back Mike Hogan, senior midfielder Sean Horan, senior goalkeeper Chris Owen, junior back Bill Anthes and senior back Kyle Hughes.

Rutgers University-Camden placed fourth in the poll and also was tapped as the league's dark horse. Scarlet Raptor head coach Greg Ogden led his squad to a 15-2-4 overall record in 2004 en route to being named the NJAC Coach of the Year by his peers. In six seasons at the helm of the Camden program, Ogden has produced a 53-34-13 overall record. The Scarlet Raptors return five all-conference players in sophomore midfielder Pat Baldiserra, junior midfielder Mike Reed, junior goalkeeper David Cunningham, senior forward Kevin Ridgway and senior midfielder Devin Burgin.

With its return to the New Jersey Athletic Conference as a full-member in 2005, New Jersey City University was selected to place fifth. Under the direction of eighth-year head coach Kevin East, the Gothic Knights have produced an overall record of 89-53-8. Last season as an NCAA Division III Independent, East led his squad to a 17-7-0 overall record and the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Tournament Championship. The Gothic Knights return the nation's third leading scorer from last season in senior forward Chris Rosenthal.

Under the leadership of second-year head coach DJ Pinton, Ramapo College was tapped to place sixth. Pinton led the Roadrunners to a 12-6-1 record in his first season at the helm of the Ramapo program. The Roadrunners return four all-conference players in junior forward Josh Taylor, junior forward Will Mazzutto, sophomore midfielder David Taylor and junior goalkeeper Patrick Jagodzinksi.

Kean University was selected to place seventh by the league's head coaches. Under the direction of 30th-year head coach Tony Ochrimenko, the Cougars have produced an overall record of 389-163-34. Kean returns two all-conference players from a squad which finished 9-10-1 overall in 2004 in sophomore midfielder Konrad Kruczek and junior midfielder Jorge Montesinos.

Under the direction of 14th-year head coach Brian Woods, William Paterson University was tapped to place eighth. The Pioneers return a trio of all-conference players in junior midfielder Brandon Burton, junior midfielder Jay Hooper, and senior back Kevin Dougherty.

The College of New Jersey, under the leadership of 11th-year head coach George Nazario, was selected to place ninth. The Lions return three all-conference players in senior midfielder Matthew Connor, sophomore midfielder Joe McGinley and senior back Jeff Lageman.

Rutgers University-Newark was tapped for 10th place in the poll. Under the guidance of second-year head coach Nansha Kalonji, the Scarlet Raiders return first-team all-conference sophomore forward Joe Caamano.

NJAC league play will get underway on Saturday, September 17 with all 10 teams in action.

The top six regular season finishers will advance to the 2005 NJAC Championship Tournament, with all matches played at the sight of the highest seed. The NJAC Tournament first round will take place on Saturday, October 29 with the first and second-seeded team receiving byes. The league semifinals will be held on Wednesday, November 2, and the 2005 NJAC Championship Match will take place on Saturday, November 5.

The NJAC Tournament Champion receives the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA National Championship Tournament.