WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The first NCAA Division III national Top 25 poll of the season was released by the United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday, and the Kenyon College men’s soccer team earned the No. 8 spot.
The Owls jumped nine spots from their preseason ranking of 17th thanks to a 4-0 start to the 2022 campaign, including a win over a fellow Top 25 opponent. Kenyon passed an early-season test when they took on then-No. 16 John Carroll University on the road in University Heights, Ohio on Sept. 3, the second game of Kenyon’s season, claiming a 2-1 win over the Blue Streaks after scoring early in each half.
Kenyon is one of four teams in the top 10 to win each game thus far, with two programs ranking just ahead of the Owls. The University of Rochester (3-0-0) ranks seventh, while North Park University (4-0-0) slots in at sixth. The top five schools in the rankings are No. 1 Connecticut College (1-0-1), No. 2 Amherst College (2-0-1), No. 3 University of Chicago (5-0-0), No. 4 Messiah University (3-0-1), and No. 5 Tufts University (1-0-1). Middlebury College (1-0-1) and Calvin University (4-0-1) round out the top 10 behind Kenyon.
The Owls offense has outscored opponents 17-5, and their 4.25 goals per game rank sixth in NCAA DIII. Scott Upton (five goals) and Sebastian Gaese (four goals, two assists) pace Kenyon offensively with 10 points apiece, while Alem Duratovic ranks third with eight points on four goals. The Kenyon defense has secured one shutout, and keeper Jack Pedreschi has notched four wins in goal while compiling eight saves and a 1.14 goals against average through the early going.
Kenyon will bring its new No. 8 ranking into a matchup with Wilmington College on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The match is set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff in Wilmington, Ohio.
