BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – SIUE men's soccer received 11 of 15 possible first-place votes and has been picked to repeat as Ohio Valley Conference champions. Winners of the regular season and tournament championship in the league's inaugural season, the Cougars grabbed 95 points overall in the preseason poll of head coaches and sports information personnel.
Liberty, which collected three first-place votes and 79 total points, was picked second followed by UIW and Lindenwood.
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Houston Christian, which earned the other two first-place votes, was picked fifth, followed by Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and Southern Indiana.
Following a 10-game OVC regular season, the top six teams advance to the Championship, which will once again be played at SIUE's Ralph Korte Stadium.
SIUE's Nacho Abeal also was named as one of eight OVC players to watch for the 2024 season.
The Cougars continue preseason play Saturday with a home contest against Marquette. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will serve as part of SIUE's Welcome Weekend.
2024 OVC Men's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish
1. SIUE (11 first-place votes) - 95 points
2. Liberty (3) - 79
3. UIW - 67
4. Lindenwood - 66
5. HCU (2) - 59
6. Eastern Illinois - 36
7. Western Illinois - 25
8. Southern Indiana – 21
2024 OVC Men's Soccer Players to Watch
Sam Eccles (F, Grad., Sheffield, England) - Eastern Illinois
D'Alessandro Herrera (MF, Jr., Houston, Texas) - HCU
Luke Eberle (MF, Sr., Arnold, Md.) - Liberty
John Gates (F, Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) - Lindenwood
Nacho Abeal (F/MF, Sr., A Coruña, Spain) - SIUE
Jaron Frye (F, Jr., Tulsa, Okla.) - Southern Indiana
Miles Merritt (MF, So., Albuquerque, N.M.) - UIW
Jimmy Baars (MF, Sr., Kudelstaart, Netherlands ) - Western Illinois
