WVU Tech tabbed second in RSC men’s soccer 2021 preseason coaches poll

RSC Communications

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio – University of Rio Grande (Ohio) is predicted as the top team in the 2021 River States Conference Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Preseason Poll. The RedStorm came out on top of the voting of the league’s 11 soccer head coaches with 97 total votes and seven of the 11 first-place votes.

Rio Grande won the RSC Championship for the fifth time in the last seven years with its conference postseason tournament title in the spring of 2021. The championship was moved to the spring due to COVID-19. The RedStorm amassed a record of 14-5 overall, 7-1 RSC and defeated Oakland City (Ind.) University in the finals to qualify for the NAIA national tournament. Rio Grande finished the year ranked No. 24 in the NAIA Top 25.

WVU Tech was picked second in the RSC preseason poll after receiving 89 total votes and three first-place votes. The Golden Bears were the RSC regular-season champions last season at 12-3 overall, 7-1 RSC. The Golden Bears were “receiving votes” in the NAIA rankings at the end of 2020-21 and were ranked all year.

Ohio Valley (W.Va.) University is new to the RSC and the NAIA this year and was picked third in the poll with 79 points and the final first-place vote. The Fighting Scots were 11-0 last year and ended the year ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II as G-MAC champions.

Point Park (Pa.) University took fourth this preseason with 75 votes. The Pioneers are coming off a 7-7, 5-3 RSC campaign that included a trip to the RSC semifinals. Indiana University East garnered 62 votes for fifth place, and Oakland City got 59 votes for sixth place as the final team predicted as a playoff qualifier.

Brescia (Ky.) University was next in seventh followed by another newcomer, St. Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.), Midway (Ky.) University, Ohio Christian University and Carlow (Pa.) University.

2021 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE MEN’S SOCCER COACHES’ PRESEASON POLL 
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)