SEWARD, Neb. – In rankings that closely followed the final 2021 standings, Concordia University Men’s Soccer landed at No. 5 in the 2022 GPAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll unveiled on Monday (Aug. 15) by the league office. Head Coach Jason Weides’ squad pulled in 83 points in the poll, which included a top four of Northwestern, Hastings, Morningside and Briar Cliff. In the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll released on Aug. 10, Northwestern appeared at No. 25 and Hastings received votes.
This will be year 15 as head coach for Weides, whose 2021 team finished 7-8-3 overall with a 5-4-2 mark in league play. Prior to 2021, the program had won at least 10 games in 10 straight seasons.
As Weides said back in the spring, “We feel like we have a championship mentality, but it faltered at times last fall. I think we all realize we can do better individually and ultimately collectively. I think we took some good strides with that this spring. We also can be on the same page more with our pressing and some defensive aspects of the game.”
A standout among returners, defender Iker Casanova has garnered two Second Team All-GPAC awards in his collegiate career. Midfielder Carlos Orquiz (Second Team All-GPAC in 2020) returns for a fifth year as a member of the program. The Bulldogs are especially deep at goalkeeper, a position that welcomes back three players who saw action last season.
The 2022 season will get started officially with a trip to Salem, Ore., for matchups with Northwest University on Aug. 25 and Corban University on Aug. 27. The first home appearance is slated for Sept. 10 versus Bellevue University.
2022 GPAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
-First-place votes in parentheses
1. Northwestern – 116 (8)
2. Hastings – 110 (3)
3. Morningside – 100 (1)
4. Briar Cliff – 92
5. Concordia – 83
6. Midland – 70
7. Jamestown – 44
8. Mount Marty – 42
9. Doane – 36
10. Dordt – 34
11. Dakota Wesleyan – 32
12. Presentation – 11