DePauw Narrowly Claims Top Spot in Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll

CLEVELAND, OH – Defending North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) champion DePauw has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026 men's soccer poll, according to voting by league coaches.
 
DePauw edged Denison for the top spot in the 2026 preseason ballot. The Tigers of Indiana collected seven first-place votes and 75 points, narrowly edging the Big Red, who picked up the remaining two first-place votes and 73 points. Kenyon took third with 57 points, and Wooster rounded out the top four with 50 points. Ohio Wesleyan was slotted in fifth with 47 points, followed by John Carroll in sixth (39), Wabash in seventh (29), Oberlin in eighth (18) and Wittenberg in ninth (17).

Under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Steven McCarthy, assistant coaches Aidan Kuhls and Adam Gostomelsky, and volunteer assistant Sedrick Weinschenk, the Tigers return five all-conference performers from a team that went 5-0-3 in NCAC play, 12-3-5 overall, and earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship. Senior forward Braden Murphey (South Bend, IN/Penn) returns to the attack after a first-team all-conference season, his first career all-conference honor. Across 16 games, Murphey recorded five goals and three assists for 13 points, tying for ninth in the conference in scoring while ranking among the league's top finishers in game-winning goals. The DePauw offense ranked second in the league in both scoring (2.10) and total points (5.60) per game. Also returning from the first team is junior defender Harrison Engel (St. Louis, MO/MICDS), who advanced to the top squad after a third-team selection in 2024. Engel contributed four goals and two assists for 10 points in 17 games, anchoring a Tiger backline that also featured senior goalkeeper Sam Ortner (Wauwatosa, WI/Wauwatosa East). A first-team All-NCAC selection, Ortner ranked fourth in the conference in goals-against average (1.14) and tied for second in shutouts (7) across 19 games, helping DePauw post a team GAA of 1.10, fifth-best in the NCAC. Junior midfielder Jung Ryu (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) returns to the field after he earned second-team All-NCAC recognition in 2025, while junior defender Aidan Whitley (Columbus, IN/Columbus North) rounded out the group of 2025 All-NCAC returners with a third-team nod.

The 2026 NCAC men's soccer season kicks off Tuesday, September 1, with all nine teams in non-conference action. Conference play begins Saturday, October 3, and will feature Wooster hosting Denison, Wabash traveling to Oberlin, DePauw at Kenyon, and John Carroll taking on Wittenberg at home.
 
2026 North Coast Athletic Conference
Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Place Institution (1st Place Votes) Total Points
1 DePauw (7) 75
2 Denison (2) 73
3 Kenyon 57
4 Wooster 50
5 Ohio Wesleyan 47
6 John Carroll 39
7 Wabash 29
8 Oberlin 18
9 Wittenberg 17
 
 

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