CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The two-time defending American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) men’s soccer regular season champions were selected as the favorite again for the 2024 season, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Read below about the Loras College Duhawks and the entire A-R-C as we prepare for another men’s soccer season. 

The Poll: 

Loras College men’s soccer, who finished the 2023 season as the regular season conference champions, are the coaches’ choice to win the 2024 A-R-C Championship for the third consecutive year. The Duhawks were chosen first on six ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 62 points. Wartburg College, champions of the conference tournament a year ago, earned the No. 2 ranking. The Knights garnered 58 points backed by three first-place votes. Luther College was picked to finish third, earning 48 points. The University of Dubuque were selected to finish fourth, with 43 points. Nebraska Wesleyan University and Simpson College finished the preseason voting tied for fifth with 33 points. Central College followed in seventh with 24 points. Coe College (15 points) and Buena Vista University (8 points) finished eighth and ninth. 

New Head Coach: 

Andrew Mathys - University of Dubuque

National Spotlight: 

In the preseason United Soccer Coaches poll, no American Rivers Conference teams were ranked on the national ballot.  

The Schedule: 

All nine of the league institutions kick off the 2024 season on Friday, August 30. Buena Vista will play host to Martin Luther College out of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and Central will host Macalester hailing from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Coe will host in-state rival Grinnell out of the Midwest Conference on opening night. Dubuque spearheaded by a new head coach will begin their season at home against Wheaton out of the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The defending A-R-C regular season champions, Loras, begin their season on the road when they travel to Illinois to face Aurora from the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). The Norse will head to sunny California to face Claremont McKenna, from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), in their opening contest. Nebraska Wesleyan will hit the road to Missouri to take on Westminster, hailing from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Storm will head to Illinois on opening night to face Augustana from the CCIW and Wartburg will head north to Collegeville, Minnesota to face Saint John’s out of the MIAC. 

The eight-game round-robin American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Saturday, September 28th with four games. Buena Vista will host Loras for the opening of the league play, while Simpson will travel to Pella for a match-up with Central. Wartburg will make the trip to Dubuque to kick off conference play against Dubuque and Nebraska Wesleyan is set to host Luther. Coe begins league action on Saturday, October 5th when they host Wartburg. 

On the Line: 

At the conclusion of the regular season conference schedule, the top six teams move on to the 2024 conference tournament. The tournament begins on Saturday, November 2 with the 4/5 seeds and the 3/6 seeds meeting at the higher-seeded home pitch. On Wednesday, November 6 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 9, at the highest remaining seed in the tournament, for the tournament title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Preseason No. 1 | Loras College Duhawks

Head coach Sam Koenig enters his second season leading the charge of the Duhawks men’s soccer program. Last season, he led Loras to a regular season title with a 12-4-4 overall record and 6-2 league record. The Duhawks are looking to make a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. Loras had made 13 appearances to the big dance in program history. 

Loras will return some notable names for this upcoming season including Reed Miklavicic, the 2023 A-R-C Offensive Most Valuable Player. Bryan Basinger, Dani Galiana Torres, and Ethan Kelly are additional all-conference performers returning for this upcoming season. Overall, the Duhawks return six starters. 

Preseason No. 2 | Wartburg College Knights 

Mike Madigan is entering his ninth season as the head coach of the Wartburg men’s soccer program. He has compiled an overall record of 56-33-28 during his tenure. Last season, the Knights claimed the tournament championship and the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Wartburg finished the conference regular season with a 5-1-2 overall mark and a final overall record of 12-2-6. Madigan looks to take him squad back to the NCAA Tournament this season as they eye their 11th appearance. 

The Knights return two all-conference performers from the 2023 season: Alima Mmunga and Curtis Ratzer. They are returning five starters for this upcoming season. 

Preseason No. 3 | Luther College Norse

Entering his 18th season as the head coach at Luther, Chris Garcia-Prats has a 187-91-42 overall record during his time leading the Norse. During the 2023 season, Luther finished fourth in the league standings after posting a 4-3-1 conference record and 6-8-6 overall record. Luther made their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and have made a total of 11 appearances in program history.

The Norse return eight starters this season including Jack Bell, Hernan Manzanet, Raul Ferrandez, and Jose Gimenez as all-conference returners. 

Preseason No. 4 | University of Dubuque Spartans

Andrew Mathys enters his first season as the head coach of the Spartans program and looks to make his mark as the head coach. The Spartans finished the 2023 season 8-9-2 overall and 5-2-1 in league action. Dubuque is looking for their first trip back to the NCAA Tournament since 2016, their only NCAA postseason appearance in program history. 

Dubuque returns five starters for the 2024 campaign. Gavin Wooldridge, Zach Floss, Matt Marchiori, and Christoffer Rastock are returning all-conference honorees for the Spartans. Mathys named his players to watch as Wooldridge, Floss, and Jose Serra. 

Preseason No. T-5 | Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves

Brandon Bonilla enters year seven as the head coach of the P-Wolves. He has compiled an overall record of 39-40-14. Last season, Nebraska Wesleyan finished 10-4-4 overall and 3-3-2 in conference play, good enough to finish sixth and sneak into the conference tournament. 

If you watched the Prairie Wolves during the 2023 season, the pitch might look familiar with ten starters returning for the 2024 campaign. Nebraska Wesleyan returns Alex Kohler, Owen Glogowski, and Zack Weis as all-conference performers. 

Preseason No. T-5 | Simpson College Storm

Entering his 14th season as the head coach of the Storm, Rick Isaacson has compiled a 137-87-22 record during his tenure. Last season, Simpson finished 7-10-1 overall and 4-4 in league action, to finish fifth. The Storm continue to eye a return to the national stage with their lone NCAA Tournament appearance coming in 2000. 

Simpson returns seven starters to the lineup for the 2024 campaign. Ronaldo Ordaz-Zambrano, Espoire Nikomezi, and Zach Kline return this season as all-conference performers just a season ago. Isaacson noted his returning players to watch as Ordaz-Zambrano, Ben Reynolds, Nkomezi, Jackson Mears, Kline, and Sal Fratianni. 

Preseason No. 7 | Central College Dutch

Garry Laidlaw enters year 27 as the head coach of the Dutch. Over his career, he has compiled a 229-211-26 overall record. Last season, Central finished 7-8-2 overall and 3-5 in conference action, to just miss the conference tournament. The Dutch have made one trip to the NCAA Tournament and that came in 2019. 

Although not returning any all-conference performers this season, Laidlaw welcomes back seven starters. He noted his returning players to watch as Joe Brown, Cole Manuel, Alejo Marcon, Spencer Taylor, and Trysten Vasquez. 

Preseason No. 8 | Coe College Kohawks

Kyle Bakas is entering his sixth season as the head coach at Coe College. He has compiled a 12-42-6 overall record during his time in Cedar Rapids. Last season, the Kohawks finished 8-7-2 overall and 3-5 in league play. 

With six returners back on the pitch this season, Coe continues to look for improvements in conference standings. The Kohawks will return Ian Kearney from the all-conference team last season. Bakas listed his returning players to watch as Kevin Williamson, Kearney, Adam Brada, Jr. Holland, and Trenton Kielsel. 

Preseason No. 9 | Buena Vista University Beavers

Kelsey Resnick enters year two with the Beavers. In his first season, he led Buena Vista to a 1-15-3 overall record and 0-9 in conference play. 

Buena Vista welcomes back Kendall Bickford, a 2023 all-conference honoree as well as seven total starters. Resnick named his returning players to watch as Bickford and Jacob Adams. 

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About the American Rivers Conference

The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.