ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) released the 2024 Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday with the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets being predicted to win the regular season championship. The poll is voted on by all the head coaches in the conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.
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#1: UW-Superior Yellowjackets (48 Points, 6 First-Place Votes)
The Yellowjackets led the preseason poll with 48 points and six first-place votes from their conference competitors. Last year, UW-Superior went 17-4-2 overall with an 13-1 record in the UMAC to win the Men’s Soccer Regular Season Championship; their sixth consecutive and sixth in program history.
UWS entered the 2023 UMAC Men’s Soccer Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Yellowjackets won 6-0 over the No. 4 seeded Northwestern Eagles in the semifinals before downing the No. 2 Bethany Lutheran Vikings in the championship match in a 1-0 final. The conference postseason title was the seventh in program history for the Yellowjackets, who have won the tournament championship every year since 2017.
Advancing to the NCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Championship, the Yellowjackets fell 7-1 to the eventual national champion St. Olaf Oles in the opening round of the national tournament.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Josh Bellamy | Sr. | Defender
- 3x All-UMAC First Team, 2023 United Soccer Coaches Region IX Team
- 2023: 10 goals, nine assists, 29 points
- Jake Kidd | Jr. | Forward
- 2023 All-UMAC First Team
- 2023: Team-leading 13 goals, four assists, 30 points, .220 shooting percentage
- Felipe Oliveira | Sr. | Midfielder
- 2023 All-UMAC First Team, United Soccer Coaches Region IX Team
- 2023: 55 total shots, five goals, 32 shots on goal
#2: Bethany Lutheran Vikings (44 Points, 2 First-Place Votes)
The Bethany Lutheran College Vikings placed second in the preseason poll with 44 points and the remaining two first-place votes. BLC placed second in the regular season last spring with a 11-2-1 UMAC record while going 13-7-2 overall.
Bethany Lutheran was the No. 2 seed in the 2023 UMAC Tournament. The Vikings defeated the No. 3 Northland Lumberjacks in the semifinals but fell 1-0 to the UW-Superior Yellowjackets in the championship game.
This year’s Bethany team will feature student athletes and coaches from seven states (CA, CO, MT, MN, ND, IL, WI) and 12 countries (US, Canada, Jamaica, Colombia, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Ethiopia and Ghana).
Head Coach:
Top Returners
- Daniel Almeida | So. | Forward
- 2023 UMAC Rookie of the Year, First Team All-UMAC
- 2023: 10 goals, 6 assists, 26 points
- Ben Klausen | Sr. | Forward
- 2023 Second Team All-UMAC
- 2023: 5 goals, 7 assists, 17 points
- Danny Pilot | Jr. | Defender
- 2023 Second Team All-UMAC
- 2023: 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 points
#3: Northwestern Eagles (33 Points)
The University of Northwestern Eagles took third in the preseason poll with 33 points. UNW finished fourth in the 2023 regular season with a 6-5-3 conference record, going 6-8-4 overall.
As the No. 4 seed in the 2023 UMAC Tournament, Northwestern fell 6-0 to the No. 1 seed and eventual tournament champion UW-Superior Yellowjackets.
All 11 point-scorers from 2023 return to the pitch for Northwestern in 2024.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Tim DeLoye | Sr. | Defender
- 2x Second Team All-UMAC, 1x All-UMAC Honorable Mention, 2x UMAC All-Sportsmanship, 2023 NCCAA First Team All-North Central Region
- 2023: 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 57.1 SOG%
- Alejandro Alfaro | Sr. | Midfielder
- 2x First Team All-UMAC, 1x Second Team All-UMAC
- Career: 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 41.2 SOG%
- Joey McMillin | Sr. | Midfielder
- 2023: 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 54.3 SOG%
#4: Crown Polars (30 Points)
The Crown College Polars placed fourth in the preseason poll with 30 points. Last year, Crown finished fifth in the UMAC with a 6-6-2 conference record, going 10-10-4 overall.
The Polars return 21 players including 10 starters from last season
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Serni Batalla | Sr. | Defender
- First Team All-UMAC
- 2023: 4 goals, 3 assists, 2,000 minutes
- Joaquin Silva | Jr. | Forward
- Second Team All-UMAC
- 2023: Joint top goal-scorer
- Ashton Hosler | So. | Forward
- Second Team All-UMAC
- 2023: Joint top goal-scorer
#5: North Central Rams (25 Points)
The North Central University Rams finished fifth in the preseason poll with 25 points. NCU placed seventh in the 2023 regular season with a 2-11-1 UMAC record and a 7-11-2 overall record.
First year head coach Keith Bleyer has assembled the largest NCU Men’s Soccer roster (28) in at least 14 years, including two transfers. The 2024 team will have only one senior on the roster and will feature fifteen freshmen.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Alex Chacich | Jr. | Forward
- 2023 UMAC Honorable Mention
- 2023: Team high 10 goals
- Rodrigo Burgos | So. | Midfielder
- 2023 UMAC Honorable Mention, UMAC Academic All-Conference
- 2023: 4 goals (2 game winners) and 2 assists
- Gerald Nolasco | So. | Defender
- UMAC Academic All-Conference
- 2023: 17 starts in 2023
#6: Northland Lumberjacks (21 Points)
The Northland College Lumberjacks ranked sixth in the preseason poll with 21 points. Northland placed third in the conference last year, going 9-10-2 overall and 8-4-2 in the UMAC for their best finish in program history with 26 points.
The Lumberjacks entered the 2023 UMAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Northland battled Bethany Lutheran in the tournament semifinals, falling 4-0.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Julien Ruoppolo | Sr. | Centerback
- 2023: Played in all 21 games while starting in 20, totaled 1,628 minutes
#7: Minnesota Morris Cougars (14 Points)
The University of Minnesota Morris Cougars finished seventh in the preseason poll with 14 points. UMM went 2-13-4 overall with an 1-9-4 conference record in 2023.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Cooper Jones | Sr. | Midfielder
- 2023: 1,313 minutes, 2 goals, 10 shots on goal
- Jacob Lee | Jr. | Midfielder
- 2023: 1,628 minutes, 1 game-winning goal, 3 goals
- Nick Isensee | Jr. | Goalkeeper
- 2023: 109 saves, 1,476 minutes
#8: Martin Luther Knights (9 Points)
The Martin Luther College Knights round out the preseason poll with nine points. Martin Luther finished eighth in the conference last year with a 2-11-1 UMAC record while going 4-14-1 overall.
Head Coaches:
Top Returners:
2024 UMAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. UW-Superior | 48 (6)
2. Bethany Lutheran | 44 (2)
3. Northwestern | 33
4. Crown | 30
5. North Central | 25
6. Northland | 21
7. Minnesota Morris | 14
8. Martin Luther | 9
The 2024 men’s soccer regular season opens on Friday, August 30. The top four teams in the standings at the close of the regular season will compete in the UMAC Tournament, with the semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, November 6 and the championship game slated for Saturday, November 9. The tournament champion will receive the UMAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the 2024 NCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Championship.