Kenyon Selected as Preseason Favorite in 2024 Coaches Poll

CLEVELAND, OH – Eight-time defending North Coast Athletic Conference champion Kenyon was tabbed as the favorite in the race for the 2024 men's soccer championship according to preseason balloting of the league coaches.

The Owls collected seven of the nine possible first-place votes and 79 points overall while Denison was picked second after garnering one first-place vote and 68 total points. Ohio Wesleyan was selected third with 65 points, while DePauw and Wabash tied for fourth with 45 points apiece. The Little Giants were followed by Wooster (35) in sixth, Wittenberg (33) in seventh, Oberlin (25), who collected the final first-place vote, in eighth, and Hiram (10) in ninth.

Kenyon finished 2023 with the team's 14th conference title in program history, a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a 16-4-1 overall record. This season, the Owls will compete under the direction of second-year head coach Travis Wall. During his first year at the helm of Kenyon men’s soccer, Wall and his staff, Nick Taljan and Andy Brinkman, earned the 2023 Coaching Staff of the Year award, marking the eighth coaching award in program history. The team returns two All-NCAC first-team selections, which includes the 2023 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Alem Duratovic (Deerfield, IL/Adali E. Stevenson), and the 2023 NCAC Midfielder of the Year, Eamon Dujakovic (Lenexa, KS/Shawnee Mission West). Together the offensive duo led the conference in goals and total points. Duratovic tallied a league-leading 26 points and 12 goals, while Dujakovic collected 25 points and 11 goals. Kenyon also returns All-NCAC second-team defenseman Matt Nguyen (Westerville, OH/Wellington). In eight conference matchups, Nguyen was a part of the backline defense that allowed just three goals in 720:00 minutes of action for a league-low 0.38 goals-against-average.

The 2024 NCAC men's soccer season begins August 30th, with eight conference teams playing in non-conference action. The first day of NCAC play is scheduled to kick off on October 5th, with Oberlin at Wooster, Hiram at Denison, and DePauw at Kenyon.
 
2024 North Coast Athletic Conference
Men’s Soccer Coaches' Poll
Rank School (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Kenyon (7) 79
2. Denison (1) 68
3. Ohio Wesleyan 65
T4. DePauw 45
T4. Wabash 45
6. Wooster 35
7. Wittenberg 33
8. Oberlin (1) 25
9. Hiram 10

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