SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Defending regular season and tournament champion Denver topped the Summit League men's soccer preseason coaches' poll released Tuesday by league officials. The Pioneers garnered 62 points in the poll, which is voted on by the league's nine head coaches.
Oral Roberts, who DU shared the 2021 regular season title with a 4-1-1 league mark, was picked to finish second, tallying 59 points. Those two squads combined for the nine first-place votes with Denver garnering six and the Golden Eagles claiming the remaining three.
Omaha, who is under the direction of first-year head coach Donovan Dowling, was tabbed to finish third with 48 points. The Mavericks finished in that spot a season ago, ending the campaign just a point shy of last year’s regular season co-champions with a 4-2 league mark.
Kansas City was picked fourth, earning 43 points in the poll. The Roos were one of our four teams to finish .500 or better, landing the fourth spot in the postseason tournament.
Western Illinois followed the Roos in fifth with 34 points, while St. Thomas was tabbed sixth with 31 points. Eastern Illinois and one of the league’s two newcomers, Lindenwood, tied for seventh with 18 points, while Southern Indiana rounded out the poll in ninth with 11 points.
Lindenwood and Southern Indiana both join the Summit League this season as affiliate members in the sport as they begin their respective transitions from the Division II levels. The Lions finished eighth (6-5-3) in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2021, while the Screaming Eagles were 12
th (4-8-2; GLVC).
| 2022 Summit League Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st) |
2021 Record (SL) |
| 1. |
Denver |
62 (6) |
11-2-2 (4-1-1, 13 pts) |
| 2. |
Oral Roberts |
59 (3) |
10-4-5 (4-1-1, 13 pts) |
| 3. |
Omaha |
48 |
6-10-1 (4-2, 12 pts) |
| 4. |
Kansas City |
43 |
3-7-5 (2-2-2, 8 pts) |
| 5. |
Western Illinois |
34 |
2-13-1 (2-4, 6 pts) |
| 6. |
St. Thomas |
31 |
3-11-2 (2-4, 6 pts) |
| 7. |
Eastern Illinois |
18 |
2-12-1 (1-5, 3 pts) |
|
Lindenwood |
18 |
GLVC: 6-7-3 (6-5-3, 21 pts) |
| 9. |
Southern Indiana |
11 |
GLVC: 5-9-2 (4-8-2, 14 pts) |
#SummitMSOC Preseason Notes
- Four of the Summit League's individual award honorees from a year ago are back for the 2022 regular season with only two-time Offensive Player of the Year Dante Brigida not returning after graduating from Oral Roberts.
- Denver’s Liam Johnson returns for his fifth collegiate season after earning Defensive Player of the Year accolades in 2021. He anchors a defensive unit that yielded only 0.79 goals per match a season ago – a figure that ranked ninth-best nationally.
- Denver has won eight of the past nine Summit League Tournaments, including the 2021 event played in Macomb where the Pioneers won both of their matches via penalty kicks.
- DU went on to win its NCAA Tournament first round game at Grand Canyon, 1-0, before falling to eventual national champion Clemson in extra time during second round play.
- The Pioneers boast the league's top two returning-goal scorers in midfielders Lukas Fisher and Kengo Ohira. Both players found the back of the net four times in 2021 with Ohira providing the game-winner in the NCAA Tournament win over the Lopes.
- Despite the loss of Brigida, the Golden Eagles return a pair of individual award winners in reigning Newcomer of the Year Felipe D’Agostini and two-time Summit League Coach of the Year Ryan Bush.
- ORU shared the regular season title for the second time in three seasons and D’Agostini is one of four all-league players that Bush has back in the fold for 2022.
- Kansas City’s Cooper Clark became the first netminder in Summit League history to garner back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year accolades. He will strive for his third straight after leading the league in saves with 72 a season ago.
- Omaha and Eastern Illinois are both under the direction of new coaches. Donovan Dowling takes over for the Mavericks after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville. Dowling has Summit League ties after being named to the all-newcomer team as a junior in 2009.
- Josh Oakley takes over an EIU program after serving as the head coach of Lansing Common FC of the Midwest Premier League. He also has head coaching stops in the collegiate ranks at Spring Arbor University, Alma College, and Asbury College. Oakley was an assistant coach at EIU from 2000-02.
- St. Thomas brings some momentum into the 2022 season after closing out its first Division I campaign with three consecutive victories, including two over Summit League foes (Omaha and Kansas City).
- Lindenwood and Southern Indiana bring the league’s total number of men’s soccer sponsors to nine as the Lions and Screaming Eagles both begin their transition to the Division I level.
- Both programs arrive after competing in the Great Lakes Valley Conference at the Division II level. Lindenwood earned the eighth and final spot in the 2021 GLVC Tournament after posting a 6-5-3 league mark, while USI finished 12th in the 14-team league with a 4-8-2 mark.
#SummitMSOC Schedule Notes
- The 2022 season officially begins Thursday, Aug. 25 with eight of the league's nine teams in action. League play commences on Saturday, Sept. 24 with a full quartet of matches.
- Denver opens its season at home vs. Gonzaga before traveling to Phoenix, Ariz., for a rematch of its first-round NCAA Tournament triumph against Grand Canyon. The Lopes received votes in the United Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Top 25.
- League newcomer Southern Indiana will play its first Division I match at Belmont on opening day, while Lindenwood will wait a week before starting its DI transition with a match at SIUE on Thursday, Sept. 2.
- The top four regular-season finishers will qualify for The Summit League Men's Soccer Championship that will be held in Denver, Colo., Nov. 10 and 12.
Players to Watch
Trevor Wright | Denver | Sophomore | Defender
• Named to the 2021 Summit League All-Newcomer Team and All-Tournament Team
• Scored tally in last year’s Summit League title match that DU eventually won in penalty kicks
• Started all 18 matches at defender during first season as a Pioneer
Ronan Wynne | Denver | Junior | Defender
• Earned 2021 All-Summit League Second Team honors after being named to the All-Newcomer Team in 2020
• Started 16 of 17 matches at defender, helping DU post a league-best seven shutouts
Reed Berry | Oral Roberts | Senior | Forward
• Three-time All-Summit League First Team honoree
• Named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team
• Tallied seven career game-winning goals for the Golden Eagles
Felipe D’Agostini | Oral Roberts | Sophomore | Midfielder
• Named the 2021 Summit League Newcomer of the Year
• Earned All-Summit League First Team and All-Newcomer Team honors
• Had two goals, including game-winner vs. Northern Kentucky and started all 14 matches he appeared during first season as a Golden Eagle
Kenji Mboma Dem | Omaha | Sophomore | Forward
• Named to the 2021 All-Summit League First Team
• Earned Summit League All-Tournament Team honors after scoring in semifinal loss vs. Oral Roberts
• Tallied goals in three of last four matches of regular season
Nathanael Sallah | Omaha | Sophomore | Goalkeeper
• Earned a spot on the 2021 Summit League All-Newcomer Team
• Collected final two TicketSmarter Defensive Player of the Week honors of regular season
• Posted four shutouts in 11 starts as a freshman
Cooper Clark | Kansas City | Senior | Goalkeeper
• Named 2020 and 2021 Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year
• Back-to-back All-Summit League First Team honoree
• Started 29 consecutive games between the pipes for the Roos and led league with 71 saves in 2021
Kotaro Hirokawa | Kansas City | Junior | Defender
• Started all 15 matches at defender in his first season for the Roos
• Scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Denver in regular season finale
Alex Flowers | Western Illinois | Junior | Goalkeeper
• Earned All-Summit League Second Team honors
• Led league with a 4.64 saves per game average and was second with 65 total saves
Sofian Mahouz | Western Illinois | Junior | Midfielder
• Earned All-America honors at the Division II level in 2020 at Carson-Newman
• Named a 2021 NJCAA All-American and All-Region First Team honoree at Iowa Lakes Community College
Jack Gleckler | St. Thomas | Senior | Defender
• Started 15 matches at defender for the Tommies in 2021
• Led the Tommies in minutes played with 1,343
Charlie Holton | St. Thomas | Sophomore | Defender
• Named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team
• Shared team lead with three goals and added an assist to register seven points as a freshman
Chad Hamler | Eastern Illinois | Graduate | Midfielder
• Made 35 career starts at midfielder for the Panthers
• First career goal was a game-winner vs. IUPUI last season
Julian Smith | Eastern Illinois | Junior | Midfielder
• Played in all 15 matches and made six starts for the Panthers in 2021
• Tallied game-winning goal in Summit League victory over St. Thomas
Gabriel Herrera | Lindenwood | Sophomore | Defender
• Made 27 consecutive starts at defender for the Lions
• Recorded three career goals, including multiple-goal match at Truman State in 2020
Cooper Wilson | Lindenwood | Junior | Forward
• Made 25 career starts for the Lions
• Ranked second on team with three goals in 2021, including two-goal match vs. McKendree
Zach Barton | Southern Indiana | Junior | Forward
• Scored six goals in 2021 to push his career total to 20, entering USI’s top 10 all-time list
• Named to the 2020 All-Great Lakes Valley Second Team as a sophomore after tallying nine goals
Colten Walsh | Southern Indiana | Senior | Defender
• Named a Division II Academic All-American in 2020
• Tallied 10 career goals and started 66 consecutive games for the Screaming Eagles
Note: Players to Watch nominated by league's head coaches
#SummitMSOC
