FREELAND, Mich. – In a preseason poll of eight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) men's soccer coaches, Calvin University was predicted to lead the conference for the 16th-straight season after receiving all-possible first-place votes for a total of seven points.

The preseason poll for MIAA men's soccer awards one point for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, etc.  Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own programs.

Kalamazoo College received the remaining first-place vote and totaled 16 points for second place in the preseason poll.  Hope College (20 points) edged Trine University (21 points) by a point for third place.  Albion College rounds out the top five with 35 points.  Alma College tallied 38 points for a ranking of No. 6.  Olivet College (40 points) and Adrian College (47 points) concluded the preseason poll in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Calvin earned the status of MIAA champion last year after going undefeated in league play (7-0 MIAA, 17-4-2 overall).  The Knights' roster will be headlined by four returning 2021 First Team All-MIAA players:  fifth-year senior and three-time All-MIAA midfielder Mason Smith, junior forward and two-time All-MIAA honoree Oliver Akintade, senior defender and three-time All-MIAA player Aguma Muhumuza, and senior goalkeeper and three-time All-MIAA recipient Daniel Wunder.  Also on the 2022 roster for Calvin is a quartet of Second Team All-MIAA seniors including forward Chris Schau, midfielder Seamus Kilgallon, and defenders Alex Bowser and Ethan Harvey.

Kalamazoo concluded the 2021 campaign second in the conference with a 5-1-1 mark in MIAA contests and an overall record of 11-4-3.  Senior forward Emilio Romo will lead the Hornets as the lone returning 2021 First Team All-MIAA honoree on the roster.  Four players that were named to the All-MIAA Second Team in 2021 return for the Hornets, including senior forward Aidan Gillig, junior midfielder Shun Yonehara, sophomore defender Colin Halloran, and sophomore goalie Gavin Houtkooper.  Houtkooper was selected as the 2021 MIAA Newcomer of the Year.

Hope earned a third-place finish last year with a league record of 4-1-2 (11-4-3 overall).  The Flying Dutchmen will look to two-time All-MIAA defender Jackson Strabel (Sr.) who received Second Team status in 2021.  Midfielder Matt Wimmer returns for his junior year following First Team All-MIAA accolades in 2021, along with Second Team All-MIAA midfielder Ethan Jansen.  The Hope squad will be led by first-year head coach David Blahnik.

Trine snagged the title of 2021 MIAA Tournament champion.  The Thunder had a conference record of 4-2-1 and an overall record of 12-8-1.  Trine's roster this fall will feature 2021 First Team All-MIAA honoree Tyler Murphy.  Murphy will be entering his junior year as a forward for the Thunder.

Albion concluded the 2021 regular season with a 2-4-1 mark in league play (4-9-2 overall), while Alma finished MIAA competition with a record of 1-6 (3-13 overall).  Olivet made a 2-4-1 mark in league play (4-11-1 overall) during the 2021 campaign and Adrian concluded the year with a 0-7 record (2-14-2 overall).

The 2022 men's soccer season gets underway Thursday, September 1.  League play begins on Wednesday, October 5, with Adrian hosting Hope, Kalamazoo hosting Olivet, Calvin hosting Trine, and Albion hosting Alma, all at 7:00 p.m.