ROYAL OAK, MICH.-- The Trine men's soccer team has been picked to finish eighth in the MIAA by the conference's coaches in the league preseason poll, released Monday.
The Thunder received votes totaling 46 points in the poll. Trine is coming off a season in which the team finished 3-14-2 overall and 1-12-1 in the MIAA. With the bulk of last season's squad being underclassmen, the Thunder are hoping a more experienced group can climb up the conference standings this season. Defending conference champion Calvin was picked by the league's coaches to repeat as MIAA champions. The MIAA Preseason Poll is the result of votes cast by the league's head coaches.
Offensively, Bill Wilson (Mason, Mich./Mason) returns after leading the Thunder with six goals in his freshman season. Junior Kenny Rappuhn (Grand Blanc, Mich./Goodrich) contributed five goals last season and will be counted on to continue his strong play in the offensive area.
Jacob Nantz (Galesburg, Mich./Galesburg-Augusta) is the most experienced of Trine's returning defenders after making 18 starts last fall.
Goalkeeper Chris Stewart (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester) returns as an experienced netminder for the Thunder. Stewart has started every game in goal the last two seasons, and has 10 career shutouts to his credit- the second-best total for any Trine keeper in the Division III era.
The Thunder open the season Saturday, Aug. 30 when they travel to New Jersey City for an 11:00 a.m. match. The home opener will come Friday, Sep. 12 when Trine hosts Defiance as part of the Ketner Classic. The complete schedule can be viewed HERE.
The results of the MIAA Preseason Poll are listed below.
| Team | Points (First-Place Votes) | |
| 1. | Calvin | 9 (6) |
| 2. | Hope | 15 (1) |
| 3. | Olivet | 22 (1) |
| 4. | Kalamazoo | 25 |
| 5. | Albion | 32 |
| 6. | Alma | 33 |
| 7. | Adrian | 42 |
| 8. | Trine | 46 |