USI Men’s Soccer predicted to finish 6th in GLVC

University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer is projected to place sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in a vote by the league’s 15 head coaches. USI, the all-time leader with 11 GLVC titles, advanced to the GLVC Tournament last spring after posting a 7-6-1 overall record and a 7-5-1 GLVC mark.

The 15-team GLVC will have a round robin schedule this fall that features every team playing seven home and seven away games. The regular season champion, along with the next seven best teams based on conference point system, will earn a berth to the eight-team GLVC Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament. The top four seeds will host first round matches on campus November 7 with the winners advancing to the semifinals and finals, which will be held on the campus of the highest remaining seed, on November 12 and 14.

The 2020-21 GLVC Tournament championship game opponents were picked for the top two spots in the preseason poll. The University of Indianapolis topped the preseason poll with 191 points and nine first place votes, while Maryville University, the defending GLVC Tournament champion, was picked second with 183 points and five first place points.

Maryville won the GLVC title last spring on penalty kicks after tying UIndy, 1-1, following regulation and the two overtime periods.

UIndy and Maryville were followed by Quincy University (152) and Lewis University (152) in the preseason poll, tying for third. McKendree (130) rounded out the top five, 10 points ahead of USI (120). USI was followed by the University of Missouri-St. Louis (119) and Drury University (115) in the top half of the preseason poll.

The 2021 USI squad is comprised of 27 players – 25 returning players and two newcomers, begins its 13^th season under Head Coach Mat Santoro, who became the Eagles’ all-time winningest coach last spring (104-87-22).

The top returning scorer for USI is second-team All-GLVC sophomore forward Zach Barton, who posted a team-best 19 points on nine goals and one assist last spring. Barton is followed in the scoring column by CoSIDA Academic All-American junior defender Colten Walsh with 10 points on a career-high four goals and two assists during the conference-only 2020-21 schedule.

USI opens the 2021 season at home, playing host to Cedarville University September 2 to start a four-match homestand. The first GLVC contest of 2021 is September 12 when the Eagles welcome McKendree to Strassweg Field.

2021 GLVC MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL