SAC Preseason Poll shows men's soccer 7th

The Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll has been announced, and Wayland Baptist is slotted as the No. 7 team.
 
The Pioneers are coming off a 6-9-2 season in 2022 which included a 3-5-1 SAC record for eighth place. Wayland fell in the first round of the SAC Tournament to top-seeded, second-ranked Mid-America Christian, 4-1.
 
After claiming both the regular season and tournament championships last season, MACU claimed the 2023 SAC Preseason Poll as voted on by the league's head coaches.

The Evangels earned the top spot with 87 points and grabbed eight first-place ballots after winning the regular season title with an overall record of 19-2-2 and finished league play with a 7-0-2 mark before winning the conference tournament by defeating Science and Arts, 3-0, in the title match. Mid-America earned a berth into the NAIA National Tournament and fell in the quarterfinals to Rio Grande, 2-1.

The Drovers grabbed the second slot in the poll with 77 points as they also earned a first-place vote. John Brown earned the third position in the poll with 74 points as the Golden Eagles also garnered a first-place vote.

Last year's regular-season runner-up Southwestern Christian is in the fourth spot in the poll with 72 points, following by Oklahoma City with 58 points. Texas Wesleyan is sixth with 49 points, ahead of Wayland with 44. Rounding out the poll are Central Christian (35 points), Oklahoma-Panhandle State (25) and Southwestern Assemblies of God (21).

After three scrimmages, WBU and head coach Robert Ssejjemba open the regular-season Aug. 31 on the road against Jarvis Christian. After another road match Sept. 2 against Paul Quinn in Dallas, the Pioneers play their home-opener at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 against University of the Southwest (N.M.) in a doubleheader with the women, who play at 5 p.m.
 
SAC Pre-Season Poll
(First Place Votes in Parenthesis)
Mid-America Christian            87        (8)
Science and Arts                    77        (1)
John Brown                             74        (1)
Southwestern Christian          72
Oklahoma City                        58
Texas Wesleyan                     49
Wayland Baptist                    44
Central Christian                     35
Panhandle State                     25
SAGU                                     21