Polar Bears Picked to Finish First in Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
Polar Bears Picked to Finish First in Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Ohio Northern, under the direction of sixth-year Head Coach Chris Matejka, has been picked by the league coaches to win the Ohio Athletic Conference men’s soccer title in 2024.
Ohio Northern received eight of 10 first place votes to collect 80 points. Otterbein and John Carroll each received one first place vote, with 69 and 67 points, respectively. Mount Union lands in the fourth spot with 60 points, followed by Capital with 42 points. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.
The Polar Bears finished the 2023 season with a 13-6-4 overall record and were second in the OAC with a 7-1-1 mark in conference play. They won the OAC Tournament championship for the eighth time in program history and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship for the second-straight year and fifth time overall.
The 2024 United Soccer Coaches Top 25 preseason poll ranked Ohio Northern 15th among Division III men’s soccer programs.
The Polar Bears will open the season with a 5:15 p.m. kickoff Friday, Aug. 30 at #19 Kenyon College in Gambier, OH.
2024 OAC Men’s Soccer Schedule
|
Coaches Poll
|
|
Rank
|
School (1st Place Votes)
|
Pts.
|
|
1
|
Ohio Northern (8)
|
80
|
|
2
|
Otterbein (1)
|
69
|
|
3
|
John Carroll (1)
|
67
|
|
4
|
Mount Union
|
60
|
|
5
|
Capital
|
42
|
|
6
|
Marietta
|
41
|
|
7
|
Baldwin Wallace
|
33
|
|
8
|
Wilmington
|
32
|
|
9
|
Muskingum
|
16
|
|
10
|
Heidelberg
|
10
|