FREELAND, Mich. – The men's soccer coaches of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association were in agreement in the 2017 MIAA preseason coaches poll, as Calvin was the unanimous pick to defend their title this fall.

Calvin received all seven possible first-place votes (teams cannot vote for themselves) for seven points. Alma, who pushed Calvin in the 2016 MIAA Tournament championship game last season, was selected to finish second overall with 14 points. Adrian gathered 18 points to rank third, while Kalamazoo (28 points) edged Albion (30 points) for fourth.

Hope (36 points) settled in for seventh place, while Olivet (45) and Trine (46) rounded out the poll.

Calvin (23-3-0, 13-1-0 in MIAA in 2016) will lean on youthful experience from last year's team. Defensively, the Knights aim to continue their trend of stingy defense with Nate Van Ryn (Sr., GK, Grandville, Mich.) and Trent Vegter (Jr., D, Hudsonville, Mich.). Bobby McCaw (Jr., M, Dubuque, Iowa) finished 2016 on a hot streak with eight goals - including four game winners - during Calvin's postseason run, including a hat trick in the MIAA final against Alma. 

Alma (14-6-1, 9-4-1) advanced to the MIAA title tilt last fall and was one of just two teams to score more than two goals in a game against Calvin with their two strikes in the MIAA Championship. Noah Canlas (So., M, Naperville, Ill.) was a second-team All-MIAA selection last fall to headline the Scots' offense, while fellow second-team All-MIAA honorees Lucas Foust (Jr., D, Brooklyn, Mich.) and Sam Falardeau (Sr., D, Mason, Mich.) will be key on the defense.

Adrian (11-8-0, 9-5-0) was the only MIAA team to take a victory from Calvin in 2016, signalling the Bulldogs are up to the challenge to compete for a top spot in the MIAA this fall. A wealth of experience returns for the Bulldogs, as just two seniors graduated from the 2016 squad. Assisting in the Adrian effort in 2017 are first-team All-MIAA selections Brandon Katona (Jr., M, Detroit, Mich.) and Chris Stanhope (Jr., D, Dearborn, Mich.).

Kalamazoo (6-6-5, 6-5-3) earned a result in nine of their 14 MIAA contests last fall, but an overtime golden goal in the regular season finale against Albion bounced the Hornets from postseason play. 

First touch for the 2017 men's soccer campaign is Albion's 2 p.m. contest at Hiram Friday, Sept. 1 as four MIAA teams are in action on the opening day, with Alma, Calvin, and Hope at home. Wednesday, Sept. 13 marks the open for MIAA league contests.

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