OXFORD, Ohio- The RedStorm of the University of Rio Grande have been selected to repeat as conference champions in men's soccer in the River States Conference, claiming the top spot in the 2025 RSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Wednesday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's ten head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
The RedStorm were the unanimous selection of the other nine head coaches in the conference, earning all nine possible first place votes. The RedStorm were a dominant force in men's soccer last season, going 8-0 in conference play before outscoring the opposition 10-0 in tournament play en route to the RSC Tournament title. Rio Grande also earned a postseason win, rolling past Bryan College 7-0 before falling one match short of a trip to the final site.
WVU Tech, who went 6-2 in conference play last season, was picked to finish second. The Golden Bears, who earned the only other available first place vote, got to the conference title match last season, thanks to a win over Oakland City in penalty kicks. The Mighty Oaks are close behind the Golden Bears in third, with Shawnee State and Midway rounding out the top five.
The bottom half of the poll sees Saint Mary-of-the-Woods place sixth, Indiana University East at seventh, Brescia eighth, Indiana University Columbus ninth, and RSC newcomer Kentucky Christian rounding out the conference at tenth.
The action begins in men's soccer on August 21, with three River States Conference teams on the road - Shawnee State in Florida against Ave Maria, Rio Grande in Chicago against St. Xavier, and Brescia in Georgia against Dalton State. Conference play begins on Thursday, September 25, with Oakland City hosting IU East and Midway playing host to St. Mary-of-the-Woods.
2025 RSC PRESEASON MEN's SOCCER COACHES' POLL
1. Rio Grande (81 points, 9 first place votes)
2. West Virginia Tech (70 points, 1 first place vote)
3. Oakland City (67 points)
4. Shawnee State (57 points)
5. Midway (41 points)
6. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (40 points)
7. IU East (32 points)
8. Brescia (27 points)
9. IU Columbus (26 points)
10. Kentucky Christian (9 points)