Owls start season at No. 19 in national standings

GAMBIER, Ohio — When the United Soccer Coaches unveiled the organization’s annual Top 25 NCAA Division III preseason poll, the Kenyon College men’s soccer team checked in at No. 19 in the national rankings.

The Owls picked up right where they left off in 2023 after finishing the year ranked 19th after compiling a 16-4-1 record. Kenyon’s impressive season extended to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a first-round victory, and the team’s run came to a close after tying against the Washington College (Md.) Shoremen, who advanced on penalty kicks. The postseason berth was Kenyon’s 10th straight appearance in the national tournament. 

The Shoremen went on to finish fourth in the NCAA Tournament and hold the No. 4 spot in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. Amherst College and Washington & Lee University rank second and third, respectively, in the preseason standings, while St. Olaf College, who Kenyon beat at home in Gambier earlier in the 2023 season, sits at No. 1 after the program won its first NCAA Championship. 

In 2024, the Owls will be looking to defend their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular-season Championship. Kenyon will be going for a ninth straight NCAC Championship while looking to add to its 14 conference crowns. Last season, the Owls posted a perfect 8-0-0 mark in conference contests and advanced to the NCAC Tournament Championship game after picking up a win over DePauw University in the semifinal match.

Kenyon opens its fall campaign with a slate of four tough tests against teams in and around the national standings. Ohio Northern University, ranked No. 15 in the preseason poll, comes to Gambier on Friday, August 30 to open the Owls’ season. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on Mavec Field. Kenyon then heads to John Carroll University two days later on Sunday, September 1 to tangle with a Blue Streaks team who received votes in the preseason poll, before another strong weekend schedule that includes road games against No. 24-ranked Johns Hopkins University and No. 17-ranked Franklin & Marshall College on September 6 and 8, respectively.