Now comes the 2010 season, and Green Hope again enters the year having graduated double-digit (11) seniors from last year's squad.

So to rule out this year's Falcons from being among the state's elite teams would be foolish.

Green Hope wasn't the only Tri-Nine team to lose some of its top talent. The top eight goal scorers from last year have all graduated, leaving this year's conference race wide open.

The Falcons should get plenty of contention from its own conference, which has had three different champions in the past three years.

Falcons reloading: Green Hope started slowly, winning only two of its first five games of the 2009 season before going undefeated in their next 20 and advancing to the NCHSAA 4-A championship game, where it lost 4-0 to Greensboro Page.

Despite the losses of three Division I players, including Tri-Nine player of the year Jared Girard, the Falcons should have plenty of talent thanks to a junior varsity program which hasn't lost a conference game since 2006.

Green Hope's defense, which notched 14 shutouts in 2009, is expected to be strong again with junior Chase Keelsing, who is drawning national recruiting attention, and senior Logan Paussa, who has the ability to attack from the back.

The Falcons have reached the state 4-A semifinals in five of the last six years.

Apex returns talent: The Cougars return 15 letter winners from last year's 16-6 team that finished second in the Tri-Nine. Defense will be a key, said Apex coach Kevin Todd.

Senior keeper Paul West is committed to Appalachian State - and he might not be the starter with Matt McCroskey returning. Striker Taylor Welsh is a Division I prospect.

Athens Drive's defense stands out: This should be one of the more talented teams in recent years for coach Travis Seese, and it starts in the back.

Although goalkeeper Ethan Hall graduated, defender Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler is a highly-skilled senior who will play at UNC Chapel Hill next fall.

Panther Creek looks strong: The Catamounts missed the playoffs last season despite going 8-8 in conference play. Panther Creek won the conference in 2008.

The Catamounts' leadership starts with three-year starter Scooter Oliver, who has committed to Campbell.

Panther Creek also went 3-0 at a recent jamboree at Heritage High School.

Fuquay-Varina has potent attack: With much of the conference's top goal scorers graduating from a year ago, Fuquay-Varina is now home of the conference's top two returning scorers.

David Sizemore had nine goals and six assists and has signed to play at UNC Wilmington. Teammate Andrew Sotak had 11 goals and 1 assist as the team ended the season with a 17-5-1 record.

Cary's Dunphy returns to sidelines: The late-summer resignation by previous Cary boys soccer coach Joy Nsubuga-Mogbo left Cary athletics director Mike Dunphy little choice but to take over the team. Not that it's a bad thing.

In Dunphy's previous stint as Cary coach, he led Cary to some of its most successful seasons in recent memory with the likes of Brooks Haggerty and Zach Schilawski. Dunphy also coached the girls program at the time and compiled a 196-81-26 record between the two programs.

Dunphy's team will be led by defender Eric Steber, who is among the nation's elite and has signed with Furman.

Middle Creek, Holly Springs try to rebuild: Middle Creek is coming off its best season in school history (10-7-4) but loses its top two goal scorers in Matt Frongello (17 goals, eight assists) and Sam Keel (11 goals, eight assists). Holly Springs, which missed last year's playoffs as first-year members of the Tri-Nine, faces a similar dilemma without the conference's leading scorer Nick Hohns (25 goals, six assists).