The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) announced the 2021 WHAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday afternoon. The Siena Heights men's soccer team was chosen to finish eighth in the poll. The Saints finished last season with a 3-7-1 mark overall and in conference play to finish eighth in the league standings (the same position they were chosen to finish in the preseason poll for 2021).
"In a very difficult WHAC Conference, being picked to be in the playoffs by the other coaches means that we are moving in the right direction," said SHU men's soccer coach Andrew Crawford. "We still have work to do and obviously are looking to finish in a higher position. Teams are separated by the thinnest of margins in our conference and we will need to be at the top of our game each and every time we lace them up to reach our goals."
The Siena Heights men's soccer team returns a number of experienced players from last season's team including the 2020 WHAC All-Newcomer selection Marcelo Rocha and Gustavo Barros. The loss of Andrew Kozan in goal and Uthman Babatunde at the forward position are key spots where the Saints will look for new faces to fill those roles.
The preseason poll is voted on by the coaches in the league who rank each team in the WHAC from 1-12. Twelve points are given to the team at the top of the list, 11 points to the second-ranked team, and so on to determine the order of the poll.
Reigning WHAC Champion Indiana Tech received all 12 first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 144 points. WHAC tournament runner-up UNOH finished second with 130 points. Aquinas fell to third with 118 points while Madonna moved up to the fourth spot with 109 points. Lourdes dipped to fifth with 89 points and Lawrence Tech jumped Cornerstone for sixth with 86 points. Cornerstone grabbed seventh with 7 points and Siena Heights held onto eighth with 50 points. Rochester stood firm in ninth with 46 points followed by Concordia (Mich.) with 36 points. Michigan-Dearborn was 11th with 28 points and Cleary rounded out the poll with 23 points.
For the WHAC release of the 2021 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll, click here.
