Kenyon climbs to No. 2 in the nation

GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College men’s soccer team extended its unbeaten start to the 2024 season over the weekend, and the Owls were recognized for their continued excellence in the most recent NCAA Division III United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. Kenyon jumped two spots in the national standings, checking in at No. 2 for the first time in eight years.

The Owls have continued to improve their standing amongst the nation’s best throughout the year, and their No. 2 ranking marks a 17-spot improvement from their preseason position. After a win over DePauw University in the team’s North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) opener last weekend, Kenyon has compiled an undefeated 7-0-3 (1-0-0 NCAC) record over its 2024 campaign. The Owls have whipped up three wins over teams who were nationally ranked at the time of the match, going 3-0-1 over four ranked battles.

Kenyon’s newly-minted No. 2 ranking is the program’s highest spot in the United Soccer Coaches poll since slotting into second for two straight weeks during the 2016 season. That year’s squad started off with eight consecutive wins and finished with a 20-3-0 overall record after advancing all the way to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The 20 wins stand as the best single-season win total in program history.

This year’s Owls team will be looking to continue another record that dates back to that 2016 season: an unbeaten streak against NCAC opponents. After dropping a game to DePauw while ranked No. 2 that year, the program has rattled off a conference-record 60 straight league games without a loss, going 56-0-4 over the stretch. Additionally, Kenyon has won eight straight NCAC Championships and is looking to extend that streak this year as well.

The week ahead features two more tough tests for the Owls, who will travel to play Ohio Wesleyan University (5-3-2, 0-0-1 NCAC) on Wednesday, October 9, before welcoming No. 17-ranked Denison University (6-1-3, 1-0-0 NCAC) to Gambier on Saturday, October 12. Kenyon will be celebrating Senior Day before Saturday’s game, which is set to start at 3:30 p.m. on Mavec Field.