Men’s soccer voted fourth in preseason poll
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Simpson College men's soccer team was voted into a tie for fourth in the American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Wednesday.
The Storm tied Nebraska Wesleyan for fourth place with 40 points each. The defending regular season champions Loras was selected in first place with five first-place votes and 59 total points. Tournament champs Luther received three first place votes and 55 points. Before Simpson and Nebraska Wesleyan, Wartburg was selected third with 46 points. Dubuque took sixth with 34 points, before Central (25 points), Coe (16 points), and Buena Vista (nine points) completed the poll.
The Storm are scheduled to open the season at home on Sept. 1, with head coach Rick Isaacson looking forward to another season at the helm. "We lost significant talent following the 2022 season, but our incoming class is both deep and talented," said Isaacson. "We are adding a group of new players that will enhance our roster while supplementing a strong core of returning players, making us eager to usher in a new era of Simpson soccer."
A LOOK BACK AT 2022
- The Storm compiled an overall record of 12-4-3, with a conference mark of 4-1-3, advancing to the A-R-C semifinals.
- Head coach Rick Isaacson became the program's all-time winningest head coach after the team's 1-0 win at Central.
- For the fourth time in the last six seasons, the Storm had at least six all-conference selections.
- The Storm scored 22 goals in conference play to rank second in the league, with the Storm defense keeping six clean sheets overall.
- Graduating seniors Baraka Ellie and Ricardo Ibarra were named all-region, the first time since 2019 the program had multiple all-region honorees.
KEY OFFENSIVE RETURNERS (2022 STATS)
- Ronaldo Ordaz, senior forward (6 goals, 6 assists)
- Matt Hasken, senior midfielder (3 goals, 3 assists)
KEY DEFENSIVE RETURNERS (2022 STATS)
- Andrew Russell, senior defender (1 goal, 3 assists, 1372 minutes played)
- Sam Hying, senior defender (17 games played, 873 minutes played)
2023 AMERICAN RIVERS CONFERENCE MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Loras (10-6-2, 5-1-2 A-R-C) - 59 points
2. Luther (12-4-5, 4-0-4 A-R-C) - 55 points
3. Wartburg (7-2-9, 3-0-5 A-R-C) - 46 points
t-4. Simpson (12-4-3, 4-1-3 A-R-C) - 40 points
t-4. Nebraska Wesleyan (7-8-3, 4-2-2 A-R-C) - 40 points
6. Dubuque (8-7-4, 3-2-3 A-R-C) - 34 points
7. Central (3-11-2, 2-5-1 A-R-C) - 25 points
8. Coe (2-14-1, 1-7 A-R-C) - 16 points
9. Buena Vista (0-15-2, 0-8 A-R-C) - 9 points
