CLEVELAND, OH – Defending North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) co-champion Denison has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2025 men’s soccer coaches’ poll, according to voting by league coaches.
The Big Red, who are in search of their fourth NCAC championship, collected six first-place votes and 78 points to top the preseason ballot. The Kenyon Owls followed in second with two first-place votes and 71 points, while the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, who earned a share of the 2024 conference title with Denison, secured third with the final first-place vote and 62 points. DePauw came in fourth with 48 points, John Carroll landed in fifth with 47 points, and Wabash followed in sixth with 33 points, while Wooster (23), Wittenberg (22), and Oberlin (21) rounded out the nine-team poll after finishing just one point apart.
In 2024, Denison posted a 15-2-6 overall record, an unbeaten 6-0-2 mark in conference play, and earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Notably, the Big Red captured a double overtime upset win over top-seeded University of Mary Washington in the third round of the national tournament to advance into the quarterfinal round for the first time since 1979. Head coach
Brandon Bianco, who enters his sixth season after leading his staff to NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year recognition last season, will be joined by assistant coaches
Christian da Cruz,
Ben Goeller, and
Brandon Morgan. The quartet returns three seniors who were All-NCAC selections from last season, including 2024 NCAC Midfielder of the Year
Kameron Kist (New Albany, OH/New Albany) and defenders
Henri Heyes (New Albany, OH/New Albany) and
Zarius Eusebe (Wilton, CT/Wilton). The trio anchored a Big Red defense that allowed just one goal in conference play for a remarkable 0.13 goals-against average, while posting an NCAC-best seven shutouts against league opponents. Overall, Denison recorded 13 shutouts and surrendered only eight goals (0.42 GAA) during the regular season.
The 2025 NCAC men's soccer season kicks off Friday, August 29, with all nine teams in non-conference action. Conference play begins Saturday, October 4, and will feature Wooster at DePauw, Kenyon at Denison, Wabash at Wittenberg, and Oberlin at John Carroll.
2025 North Coast Athletic Conference
Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll |
| Place |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Denison (6) |
78 |
| 2 |
Kenyon (2) |
71 |
| 3 |
Ohio Wesleyan (1) |
62 |
| 4 |
DePauw |
48 |
| 5 |
John Carroll |
47 |
| 6 |
Wabash |
33 |
| 7 |
Wooster |
23 |
| 8 |
Wittenberg |
22 |
| 9 |
Oberlin |
21 |