Tweet #theGAC  RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Thursday, the Great American Conference announced the results of its 2023 GAC/MIAA men’s soccer preseason coaches’ poll. Rogers State collected three first-place votes from the league’s head coaches to enter the season as the favorite.

The Hillcats finished one point behind Southern Nazarene in the regular-season standings a season ago. They reached the final of the 2022 GAC/MIAA Championships. They return eight of their 10 GAC/MIAA All-Conference honorees, headlined by their four First-Team performers - George Robinson, Luke Morgan, Sebastian Hernandez and Declan Viljoen. Robinson led the team with six assists and 16 points. Morgan added three goals and three assists. Hernandez and Viljoen helped the Hillcats produce the top goals-against average in the league, 0.88, and tie for the lead with eight shutouts. Marcos Vasallo, the team’s leader in goals, six, also returns.

The Crimson Storm received two first place votes. After winning the regular-season title, they defeated Northeastern State and Rogers State to claim their first tournament title and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time. They return a pair of First-Team All-GAC/MIAA selections in Unaiz Shajani and Alvaro Sanchez. Shajani added the Newcomer of the Year honor after scoring 13 goals and tying for the league lead with 32 points. Sanchez became the Crimson Storm’s second all-time Defensive Player of the Year. Bruno Ferreira comes back after leading the league with nine assists. His 23 points ranked third.

Fort Hays State claimed the final two first-place votes and placed third in the poll. They return unanimous First-Team All-GAC/MIAA forward Blake Arndt as well as First-Team defender Haruya Iwasaki. Arndt scored six goals and tallied 15 points. Iwasaki and the Tigers defense ranked second with a 1.00 goals-against average. He added two goals, one game winner.

Northeastern State checked in in fourth place. The RiverHawks must replace 2022 Player of the Year Flynn Semmerling. He led the league with 14 goals and tied for the lead with 32 points. Martin Martinez scored five goals and tallied 13 points as a freshman.Niklas Kirhoff led the league with eight shutouts and his goals-against-average, 1.01, ranked second.

Harding finished in fifth. Bison midfielder Stefano Silva earned All-GAC/MIAA First-Team honors for the second-straight year. He scored two goals and added an assist.

The regular season opens on Thursday, August 31 with three contests - Fort Hays State hosting MSU Denver, Harding visiting Christian Brothers and Ouachita Baptist facing Union. One day later, the preseason-favored Hillcats welcome in Missouri S&T while Northeastern State plays Drury and Newman takes on Colorado-Colorado Springs. Southern Nazarene debuts on Saturday, September 2 with a home match against Oklahoma Christian.

The GAC/MIAA Championships takes place on Friday, November 10 and Sunday, November 12 with the regular-season champion hosting the four-team event.