Posted: Aug 25, 2022

Gorloks Picked to Win Men's Soccer

Defending champs, Webster University are the preseason favorites for the 2022 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer season. The Gorloks received seven first-place votes and 49 total points from league coaches. Head Coach Michael Siener and the Gorloks were 18-2-2 overall and rolled to their second consecutive league title. The 2022 squad is a veteran team with 26 returning players including seven starters. They return five of their top six scorers from last year including the two-time SLIAC Offensive Player of the Year, Aamahn Murvin. Murvin recorded 15 goals and 9 assists last season and is joined up front by junior Mark Moore. Moore also reached double-digit goals with 11 and added 7 assists. Carlos Llamas tallied 9 goals while Noah Abraham finished with 4 goals and 7 assists. Isaac Pearson returns for one more year after finishing second on the team with 8 assists. While the Gorloks return plenty of firepower offensively, they aren't lacking on defense either with the return of Tavis Cameron and Jon McCarthy, who both started all 22 games on the backline. They will need to replace a stellar group of defenders that graduated but have plenty of options with an incoming class of 12 players. Other players that are being counted on to step up are juniors Nick Thomas and Heath George.

Spalding University was the only other team to pick up a first-place selection and finished with 41 points. The Golden Eagles were 17-7-2 overall last season under head coach Adam Boyer and bring back 10 starters and 22 total players. They will boast an experienced defensive and midfield unit that is led by two-time All-Conference defender Caleb Jackson. In the midfield, the group of Chris Encarnacion, Jacob Bass, and Braden Anderson return as fixtures. The offense will be focused on Chadrack Mulondani, a senior forward, that finished with 8 goals and 4 assists last season. Coach Boyer expects newcomers Kevin Mulume and Davis Bryant to compete for playing time.

In 3rd on the poll is Greenville University with 39 points. Head Coach Chris Swift brings back seven starters from last year's team that went 12-9-1 overall. Jared McPeek and Napolean Urquidi are among the team leaders and will be looking for one last go-around in the league. McPeek has notched 44 goals, including 13 last season while earning three All-Conference nods over that time. Urquidi finished with 7 goals and 3 assists last season, earning Third Team All-Conference honors. Pablo Valverde was third on the team in scoring last year with 6 goals and 5 assists while defender Patricio Pichardo saw valuable time as a freshman. Senior Peter Meinseith should hold down one of the midfield spots for Coach Swift. Newcomers include Gabriel Sule, Rafael Navas, and Nicolas Conde.

Finishing with 26 points and in 4th is Blackburn College. The Beavers had their best season in a decade going 12-9 overall and 9-5 in conference play. However, there are a plethora of changes with the departure of SLIAC Newcomer of the Year Zibo Siamsipa, an injury to their starting keeper, and a new head coach. First-year coach Josh Oswold takes over the program and returns seven starters. Heading up the list of returners is forward Hayden Reese, a two-time All-Conference player. Reese finished with 5 goals and 9 assists last season. Centerback Nic Vaughn (1 goal, 1 assist) and midfielder Luke Atkinson (8 goals, 1 assist) also picked up All-Conference honors last year. Jaime Pineda, a junior midfielder, has started 30 of 31 games since his arrival on campus and will be one of the team leaders.

Fontbonne University received 25 points after going 7-11 last season. Head Coach Donnie Alberty is returning just three starters from last year's team and 12 players total. But one of the returners is in the all-important position of goalkeeper, where sophomore Dominic Haggard is back. Haggard started 14 games last year and recorded a 2.13 goals-against average with 71 saves and two shutouts. Junior Joe Noah put up 10 points last year on 4 goals and 2 assists while senior Julian Johnson started 17 games on defense. Freshmen defenders Nick Mormino and Carter Sanderson could grab backline roles while junior transfer Brandon O'Dell will push for time in the midfield.

Placing 6th with 23 points is Westminster College. The Blue Jays are coached by Adam Galla and bring back eight starters from last year's team while adding 10 freshmen and five transfers. Defender Quinn Van Dyke started all 19 games as a sophomore last season and will once again be an anchor of the defensive unit. Collin Murray, Francois Moua, and Blake Corona will roam the midfield for the Blue Jays. One player to look for will be freshman defender Ty Monschein.

Principia College picked up 12 points. Head Coach Jess Semnacher will have to replace defensive stalwart EG Pierce but does bring back six starters and 10 players overall. The team's top two scorers from last year are back in Patrick Sherman and Walter Lazo. Sherman, a senior, finished with 6 goals and 2 assists while Lazo, a junior, tallied 2 goals and 7 assists. Midfielders Pablo Alas and Diego Alas will try to control the pace of the game. In net will be sophomore Jacob Ellis who started 12 games last season, stopping 72 shots. The Panthers welcome in a class that includes sophomore Parker Boyce and freshmen Leander Linsler and Wisdom Afrani.

Eureka College received 9 points in the voting. First-year head coach Ryan Woodside takes over a program that returns just four starters and seven players. The roster includes a group of sophomores that saw plenty of action last year and will look to put that experience towards this season. That group consists of midfielders Jake Edmondson and Teddy Wesoloski as well as forward Casey Frietsch and defender Will Wiegand. Jerry Anderson will be one of the few seniors on the team. Newcomers looking to make an impact are defenders Isaac Noriega and Jordan Pierre and forward Khalil Alleyne.