On Wednesday, the Horizon League released its annual Under Armour Horizon League Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll, with the Colonials in eighth place with 40 total points.
The results of the 2023 @UnderArmour #HLMSOC preseason poll are in! @CSU_MSoccer is locked in at first followed by @IUPUIMensSoccer and @OaklandMSOC!
⚽:https://t.co/st2hp9fcJX#OurHorizon🌇 pic.twitter.com/BtdSm00Tk8
— Horizon League (@HorizonLeague) August 23, 2023
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Reigning as Horizon League Tournament champions, Cleveland State is first out of ten teams in the poll with 99 total points and nine first-place votes, voted on by the league’s ten head coaches. The Colonials have a record of 2-8 against the Vikings and in their most recent matchup last October, they fell short by just a goal with a result of 0-1. Robert Morris will host Cleveland State on Nov. 1 at home for their senior day.
IUPUI was named second in the poll with 80 points and the lone remaining first-place vote. Oakland grabbed 71 points in the third after ending the Colonials’ short-lived run in the playoffs last season. Following the Golden Grizzlies is Wright State with 60 points, with Green Bay (50), Northern Kentucky (46), Milwaukee (42), Robert Morris (40), Purdue Fort Wayne (34) and Detroit Mercy (28) closing out the poll.
The Colonials will open up their season tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. versus VMI at the North Athletic Complex, and their first Horizon League test will likely be a close one against projected sixth-place Northern Kentucky on Sept. 9.
