CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2022 American Rivers Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2022 American Rivers Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2021 Record |
| 1. |
Dubuque (5) |
60 |
13-4-1, 8-0 A-R-C (Conference Champions) |
| 2. |
Loras (2) |
54 |
14-7-2, 5-2-1 A-R-C |
| 3. |
Luther (2) |
52 |
10-7-3, 4-1-3 A-R-C |
| 4. |
Simpson |
43 |
7-7-2, 5-2-1 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Wartburg |
37 |
7-7-3, 4-3-1 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
32 |
5-8-3, 2-4-2 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Central |
23 |
4-10-1, 2-5-1 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Coe |
13 |
1-14-3, 0-6-2 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Buena Vista |
10 |
2-12-2, 0-7-1 A-R-C |
Dubuque Men's Soccer, who finished the 2021 season as conference champions, are the coaches' choice to win the 2022 American Rivers Conference Championship. The Spartans were chosen first on five ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 60 points. Loras, earned the No. 2 ranking. The Duhawks garnered 54 points including be selected first on two ballots.
Luther was picked to finish third, earning 52 points and two first place votes. Simpson and Wartburg were picked to finish fourth and fifth, earning 43 and 37 points. Nebraska Wesleyan earned 32 points to finish in sixth in this year's poll. Central followed in seventh with 23 points. Coe (13 points) and Buena Vista (10 points) finished in eighth and ninth.
United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll/D3soccer.com: At this time, no rankings have been dropped by D3soccer.com and none were ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Preseason Poll.
New Coaches:
- Scott Lennon, University of Dubuque -- Lennon comes to the University of Dubuque from Clarke University where he served as an assistant coach for the women's team. Prior to his time at Clarke, Lennon was an assistant coach for the Coe College men's soccer team. He was a graduate assistant at Mount Mercy and eventually took over as the interim head coach for the Mustangs' women's program.
The Schedule: Eight of the nine league institutions kick off the 2022 season on Thursday, September 1. Buena Vista will travel to Mankato, Minnesota to take on Bethany Lutheran out of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and Central is set to host Westminster (Mo.) out of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). Coe will host Grinnell and Dubuque will play host to Monmouth both out of the Midwest Conference. Luther will travel to Mount Vernon, Iowa to take on Cornell out of the Midwest Conference and Nebraska Wesleyan will host Mount Marty from the NAIA conference, Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Simpson is traveling to take on Augustana (Ill.) out of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and Wartburg is set to travel to St. Peter, Minnesota to take on Gustavus Adolphus out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Loras is set to begin their 2022 campaign in Columbus, Ohio when they take on Capital University out of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) on Friday, September 2.
The eight-game round robin American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Saturday, September 24 with four games. Simpson will host Coe for the opening of league play, while Wartburg will travel to Storm Lake for a match-up with Buena Vista. Nebraska Wesleyan will make a trip to Dubuque to take on the Loras Duhawks and the Dubuque Spartans are traveling to Decorah to kick off conference play against Luther. Central begins league action on Saturday, October 1 with a trip to Dubuque to take on the Spartans.
Conference Tournament: At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the top six teams move onto the 2022 Conference Tournament. The tournament begins Saturday, October 29th with the 4/5 seeds and 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher seeded home pitch. On Wednesday, November 2nd the winner of the 4/5 opening round game will travel to the No. 1 seed, while the 3/6 winner will make the trip to the No. 2 seed. The semifinal winners will face-off on Saturday, November 5th (at higher seed home venue) for the tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
| 1st |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Scott Lennon (1st season)
2021 Record: 13-4-1 overall, 8-0 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 1st
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2016/1
Returning All-Conference: Lucas Von Braun (2019 Honorable Mention, 2020, 2021 First Team, MF, Sr.), Ruben Kalombo (2021 Honorable Mention, D, Jr.), Christoffer Rastock (2021 Honorable Mention, GK, So.)
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 7
Scott Lennon - "Excited for the new season to begin, we have a young and talented team and I'm excited to see what good things we can achieve this year." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Lucas Von Braun - MF (Sr.) |
16-games played // 3-goals // 9-SOG // 2-game winners |
| Ruben Kalombo - D (Jr.) |
15-games played // 1,244-minutes |
| Gavin Wooldridge - F (So.) |
14-of-18 games started // 2-goals // 6-assists |
| Draek Littler - F (Jr.) |
18-games played // 7-goals // 1-assist |
| 2nd |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Steven McCarthy (3rd season, 19-7-5)
2021 Record: 14-7-2 overall, 5-2-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: t-2nd
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2021/13
Returning All-Conference: Jared Block (2021 First Team, D, Sr.), Michael Brandt (2020, 2021 First Team, MF, Sr.), Connor Fitzpatrick (2021 First Team, GK, Sr.), Kevin Kucaba (2020, 2021 First Team, MF, Sr.), Kyler Donovan (2020, 2021 Honorable Mention, D, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 5
Steven McCarthy - "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to compete again in 2022. As a program we are excited to mix in our incoming class with a strong group of experienced returners. As always, the A-R-C will be a competitive race to the top." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021Statistics |
| Kevin Kucaba - MF (Sr.) |
24-of-24 games started // 5-goals // 5-assists |
| Michael Brandt - MF (Sr.) |
22-of-24 games started // 2-goals // 2-assists |
| Reed Miklavcic - F (Jr.) |
24-games played // 7-goals // 4-assists // 4-game winners |
| Connor Fitzpatrick - GK (Sr.) |
22-games played // 56-saves // 6-shutouts |
| Jose Cardenas - D (Sr.) |
22-games played // 1-assist |
| 3rd |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Chris Garcia-Prats (15th season, 169-79-31)
2021 Record: 10-7-3 overall, 4-1-3 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 4th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2019/10
Returning All-Conference: Marcos Vila (2019, 2021 First Team, F, Sr.), Will Overberg (2019, 2020, 2021 First Team, F, Sr.), Faydane Ouro-Akondo (2020, 2021 First Team, F, Sr.), Hernan Manzanet (2021 First Team, D, So.), Raul Fernandez (2021 Honorable Mention, D, So.)
Starters Returning: 9
Starters Lost: 2
Chris Garcia-Prats - "Excited about the upcoming season! We had an amazing spring and off-season and grew as a team. The conference is as tough as it's ever been and our goal is to be competing for a conference championship at the end of the year." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Marcos Vila - F (Sr.) |
20-of-20 games started // 13-goals // 6-assists // 4-game winners |
| Will Overberg - F (Sr.) |
20-of-20 games started // 13-goals // 10-assists // 20-SOG // 2-game winners |
| Faydane Ouro-Akondo - F (Sr.) |
18-games played // 8-goals // 9-assists // 2-game winners |
| Hernan Manzanet - D (So.) |
18-of-20 games started // 1-goal // 3-assists // 2-SOG |
| Raul Ferrandez - D (So.) |
17-of-20 games started // 1-goal // 1-assist // 5-SOG |
| 4th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Rick Isaacson (12th season, 118-73-18)
2021 Record: 7-7-2 overall, 5-2-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: t-2nd
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2000/1
Returning All-Conference: Baraka Ellie (2018, 2019, 2020 First Team, MF, Sr.), Alan Imamovic (2021 First Team, D/MF, Jr.), Roderick Orellana-Lemus (2021 Honorable Mention, D/MF, Jr.)
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Rick Isaacson - "We enter the 2022 season with a strong group of returning players - including 4 players that missed the 2021 season due to injury. Expectations are high but we also recognize the depth and quality within our league. We look forward to the challenges that lie ahead." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Baraka Ellie - MF (Sr.) |
4-games played // 1-goal // 1-assist // 1-SOG |
| Ricardo Ibarra - D (Sr.) |
13-games started // 1-goal // 1-game winner |
| Alan Imamovic - D/MF (Jr.) |
16-of-16 games started // 2-assists |
| Roderick Orellana-Lemus - D/MF (Jr.) |
15-games played // 2-goals // 1-game winner |
| Mateaus Lewis - MF/F (Sr.) |
14-games played // 5-SOG // 966-minutes |
| 5th |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Mike Madigan (6th season, 37-29-13)
2021 Record: 7-7-3 overall, 4-3-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 5th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2014/9
Returning All-Conference: Payton Chapman (2021, 2020 (Spring 2021) First Team, D, Sr.), Caleb Halleran (2020 (Spring 2021) First Team, 2021 Honorable Mention, MF, Sr.), Patrick McMahon (2021 Honorable Mention, GK, Sr.), Brennon Woody (2020 (Spring 2021) Honorable Mention, GK, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Mike Madigan - "We're excited for a great season of nationally competitive conference play." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Payton Chapman - D (Sr.) |
16-games played // 3-goals // 3-assists // 6-SOG |
| Caleb Halleran - MF (Sr.) |
16-of-17 games started // 3-goals // 4-assists / 6-SOG |
| 6th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Brandon Bonilla (5th season, 22-28-7)
2021 Record: 5-8-3 overall, 2-4-2 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 6th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2002-3
Returning All-Conference: Logan Lawrence (2020 Honorable Mention, 2021 First Team, MF, Sr.), Zachary Weiz (2021 Honorable Mention, GK, So.), Luke Monson (2019, 2020 Honorable Mention, MF, Sr.)
Starters Returning: 9
Starters Lost: 2
Brandon Bonilla - "Really looking forward to this year. We have a positive culture, a good mix of new and returning talent, and I'm so excited to see if we can take the next step this year. The A-R-C is a tough conference so it will be a grind as always. Should be fun!" |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Logan Lawrence - MF (Sr.) |
16-of-16 games started // 1-goal // 4-SOG |
| Zachary Weis - GK (So.) |
13-games played // 77-saves // 3-shutouts // 1,087 minutes |
| Alex Kohler - MF (Jr.) |
15-games played // 3-goals // 6-assists // 9-SOG |
| Caleb Vos - D (So.) |
10-games played // 2-goals // 1-game winner |
| 7th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Garry Laidlaw (24th season, 219-192-22)
2021 Record: 4-10-1 overall, 2-5-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 7th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 2019/1
Returning All-Conference: John Foster (2021 Honorable Mention, GK, Jr.)
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 4
Garry Laidlaw - "We are looking forward to getting started with the new season coming off what was a very challenging campaign for us in '21. Another high level, non-conference slate of matches should help us prepare us for what I'm sure will be an exciting and competitive A-R-C season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Jake Dzarnowski - MF (Sr. - 5th yr.) |
12-games played // 3-goals // 2-assists // 6-SOG |
| Matt West - F (Sr.) |
4-games played // 1-goal // 4-SOG |
| John Foster - GK (Jr.) |
14-games started // 1,234-minutes |
| Gabe Wilson - MF (Jr.) |
13-games started // 3-assists // 2-SOG |
| 8th |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Kyle Bakas (3rd season, 2-21-3)
2021 Record: 1-14-3 overall, 0-6-2 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 8th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): 0
Returning All-Conference: None
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 5
Kyle Bakas - "We are looking forward to competing hard and making a splash this fall." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Blake Jungman - D (Sr.) |
17-of-17 games started // 1,398-minutes |
| Mark Corley - MF (Jr.) |
16-of-17 games started // 1,458-minutes // 2-SOG |
| Carter Collis - MF (Jr.) |
None available |
| Esaie Mososongo - MF (Jr.) |
12-games played // 484-minutes |
| 9th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Ross Minick (5th season, 3-34-5)
2021 Record: 2-12-2 overall, 0-7-1 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 9th
NCAA Tournament (Last Appearance/Total Appearances): N/A
Returning All-Conference: None
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 6
Ross Minick - "We are super excited to get back into season playing in one of the best Division III conferences in the country. We put a lot of focus on our culture and fitness this past spring and summer and we hope that brings us the freedom to focus on tactical and technical skill this preseason. I know that all of our guys, incoming and returning, are ready for the challenge that the 2022 season brings us. We will be playing for something a lot bigger than us with the passing of Evan Edwards last spring, #30 will be with us in our hearts." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021 Statistics |
| Braedan Evans - F (Sr.) |
14-of-16 games started // 5-goals // 12-SOG // 1-game winner |
| Connor Williams - D (Jr.) |
16-of-17 games started // 1-goal // 3-SOG // 1,477 minutes |
