INDIANAPOLIS – Maryville University was voted in the preseason coaches' poll as the favorite to win the 2023 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) men's soccer title, the league office announced on Wednesday.
The preseason poll is selected by the league's head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
No. 1 Maryville
- Received nine first-place votes and 158 total points.
- Ranked eighth in United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
- The Saints finished with a 12-5-5 overall and 8-1-3 Conference record last season, claiming the GLVC Regular Season title and their second GLVC Championship in three years.
- Maryville advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals before falling to Lake Erie, 1-0.
- Head coach David Korn enters his eighth season at the helm of the program after winning GLVC Co-Coach of the Year in 2022.
- Maryville returns Third Team All-GLVC defenseman Alberto Di Pierri who helped the Saints' defense allow the lowest number of goals per game in the league last season (0.66).
- The Saints' incoming recruiting class features four transfers, including three players from Division I institutions.
No. 2 Indianapolis
- Received one first-place vote and 147 total points.
- UIndy posted a 10-5-3 overall mark while going 7-3-2 in GLVC action, earning the third seed in the Conference Tournament and qualifying for their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
- Gabe Hall heads into his second year with the Greyhounds, helping two players to GLVC major honors in his inaugural season.
- Indianapolis returns a pair of First Team All-GLVC selections – senior midfielder Michael Tselios and junior defenseman Pierre Lurot – and the league's Freshman of the Year Kabiru Gafar from a year ago.
- Tselios cracked the top 10 in goals and points in the Conference, finishing tied for sixth in both total goals (7) and points (17).
- Lurot – the GLVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 – started all 18 games on the backline, helping UIndy hold opponents to 21 goals while recording five shutouts.
- Gafar claimed Third Team All-GLVC laurels in his freshman campaign, recording three goals and two assists.
No. 3 Illinois Springfield
- Received one first-place vote and 146 total points.
- Ranked 15th in United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
- The Prairie Stars are coming off a fifth-place finish in the league, recording a 7-4-8 overall record and 5-1-6 clip in Conference play.
- UIS reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history in 2022, advancing to the third round.
- Head coach Adam Hall enters his eighth year with the Prairie Stars, carrying a 57-45-21 career mark into the season.
- Two All-GLVC first-teamers return for UIS in graduate forward Max Tweddle and senior defender Drew Keller.
- Tweddle had his name all over the GLVC leaderboards in 2022, finishing top 10 in shots (37), shots on goal (15), goals (7), game-winning goals (2), assists (4), and points (18).
- Keller started 18 games for the Prairie Stars, helping the defense to five shutouts while holding opponents to 27 goals in 2022.
No. 4 Lewis
- Received two first-place votes and 145 total points.
- The Flyers finished runner-up for both the GLVC Regular Season title and Conference Tournament crown, going 11-5-3 overall and 7-3-2 in GLVC competition.
- Lewis qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time under head coach Evan Fiffles, falling to Maryville in the first round.
- Fiffles returns to the sideline for his 32nd season for the Flyers, holding school records for victories (353) and winning percentage (.647).
- 2022 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Sebastian Doppelhofer and First Team All-GLVC forward Cristian Perez lead the returners for Lewis.
- Doppelhofer placed top three in multiple Conference categories last season, finishing second in save percentage (.819) and third in both goals allowed per game (.764) and shutouts (7).
- Perez paced the league in game-winning goals (4) in 2022, while ranking fourth in goals (8) and sixth in points (17), as well.
No. 5 Drury
- Received one first-place vote and 125 total points.
- Posting a 7-3-7 overall mark and 5-1-6 Conference record, the Panthers finished fourth in GLVC standings.
- Head coach Ben Taylor enters his seventh season leading the Drury program and has taken the Panthers to the GLVC Tournament in three of the last four seasons.
- Seniors John Clout and Tyler Frolik headline the returning players for the Panthers this season.
- Clout, a Second Team All-GLVC defender last year, started all 17 games contributed to Drury holding opponents to 18 goals.
- Frolik was fourth in the GLVC in save percentage (.797) a season ago, adding fifth-place finishes in both goals allowed per game (1.021) and saves per game (3.69).
Rounding out the poll respectively in sixth through 14th was Rockhurst (105), McKendree (93), Missouri S&T (87), Missouri-St. Louis (67), Truman State (59), Quincy (52), William Jewell (46), Upper Iowa (24), and Southwest Baptist (20).
The complete poll and voting results can be found below.
2023 GLVC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Maryville |
158 (9) |
| 2 |
Indianapolis |
147 (1) |
| 3 |
Illinois Springfield |
146 (1) |
| 4 |
Lewis |
145 (2) |
| 5 |
Drury |
125 (1) |
| 6 |
Rockhurst |
105 |
| 7 |
McKendree |
93 |
| 8 |
Missouri S&T |
87 |
| 9 |
Missouri-St. Louis |
67 |
10
11 |
Truman State
Quincy |
59
52 |
| 12 |
William Jewell |
46 |
| 13 |
Upper Iowa |
24 |
| 14 |
Southwest Baptist |
20 |
