Owls check in at No. 5 in national preseason poll

GAMBIER, Ohio — The United Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 NCAA Division III preseason poll debuted on Tuesday, and the Kenyon College men’s soccer team claimed the No. 5 spot in the national rankings.

The Owls continue their reign as one of the nation’s premier programs after compiling a 19-2-1 record in 2022, the third-most victories amongst teams appearing in the preseason poll. National champion University of Chicago claimed the top spot, with national runner-up Williams College, Stevens Institute of Technology, the University of Mary Washington, and Kenyon rounding out the top five.

The 2022 campaign saw Kenyon climb as high as No. 3 in the national polls as the Owls won their first nine games before a scoreless draw before clinching an undefeated 15-0-1 regular-season record with six more wins. Additionally, Kenyon went 7-0-1 against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition to claim the program’s seventh straight regular-season conference crown and extend the Owls’ record streak to 51 consecutive undefeated regular-season conference matches.

Kenyon’s continued its strong play in the postseason, hosting two NCAC Tournament games and four rounds of NCAA Tournament contests. The Owls fell 2-1 in the NCAC Championship against Ohio Wesleyan University before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA field, where Kenyon won its first three games by a combined score of 13-2. The Owls opened their run with a 6-1 win over Greenville University before shutting out No. 6/17-ranked Calvin University 4-0 and winning 3-1 against No. 9/22-ranked Washington and Lee University. Kenyon’s season ended in the Elite Eight when the Owls fell 1-0 to Williams, the eventual national runner-up.

The Owls’ final No. 5 national rank was their best since the conclusion of the 2016 season when they finished with a matching No. 5 ranking.

Heading into 2023, Kenyon will be led by newly-appointed head coach Travis Wall as the Owls strive to maintain their status atop the NCAC and on the national stage. Kenyon’s campaign begins on September 1 when the Owls head to Ada, Ohio, to take on No. 13-ranked Ohio Northern University.