Granville, Ohio- After a season that featured an Elite Eight appearance and a No. 6 finish in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, the Denison Men's Soccer team is poised to make another run, as they are placed first in the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) preseason poll.

 

2024 Season Recap

The Men's Soccer team finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 15-2-6 and 6-0-2 in conference play. The season started off hot, going 3-0-1 and outscoring their opponents 10-0 in that frame. They then suffered their first of two losses against Centre College, losing 2-1, before going 8-0-4 the rest of the regular season, including wins against nationally ranked Christopher Newport and Kenyon. In the NCAC Tournament, the Big Red won their semifinal matchup against Kenyon 2-1 before falling in penalty kicks to eventual tournament champion DePauw in the finals. The championship loss would not define the team, though, as they received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they hosted the First and Second Rounds. They won their First and Second Round games by a combined score of 9-1 to advance to the Sweet 16 against No.1 University of Mary Washington, where they won in double overtime 1-0, thanks to a game-winning goal by rising senior Zarius Eusebe in the 104th minute. The season would end in the Elite Eight at the hands of Connecticut College, where they lost 2-1. The 2024 season featured six All-NCAC recipients, including Offensive Player of the Year Jake Krueger and Midfielder of the Year Kameron Kist. The Big Red also took home Coaching Staff of the Year for the second time in program history.

 

• Denison advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1979. 

• Jake Krueger was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the first time in program history. He ranked first in the conference in goals (14), shots on goal (38), game-winning goals (7), and points (35).

• The Big Red has made the NCAA Tournament three of the past four years. Their overall tournament record in that span is 3-3.

• Denison led the NCAC in goals allowed with just 12. They ranked 3rd in the country in total shutouts with 14.

• Kameron Kist was named Midfielder of the Year for the first time in program history. He recorded six points and ranked fourth on the team in minutes played with 1,701.

 

2025 NCAC Preseason Poll

 

2025 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Place	Institution (1st Place Votes)	Total Points
1	Denison (6)	78
2	Kenyon (2)	71
3	Ohio Wesleyan (1)	62
4	DePauw	48
5	John Carroll	47
6	Wabash	33
7	Wooster	23
8	Wittenberg	22

 

Position-By-Position Breakdown

The team loses ten seniors due to graduation, but still returns solid production on the offensive and defensive side of the pitch. The Big Red brings in a class of 14 first-years to round out the roster.

Forward

One of the biggest losses from last year's squad is Jake Krueger, who led most of the offensive firepower for the Big Red. Eli Taylor will be back after a successful sophomore season. The rising junior had seven goals and tacked on one assist for Denison last season, including a multi-goal game against Ohio Northern University in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Also back is rising junior Jack Rice, who had one goal and one assist on the season, respectively.

 

Midfield

The Big Red returned a multitude of midfielders, including last year's Midfielder of the Year, Kameron Kist. Kist finished last season with six assists while starting in all of Denison's games. Also back is rising senior Phil Koutsaftis, who was third on the team in points with 12 (four goals, four assists). Rising juniors Justin Crow and Tyler Weiss also return to the pitch this 2025 season; last year, the duo tallied two goals apiece. Rounding out the midfielders is Colin MacDonald, who put in a substantial amount of time, appearing in 17 games.

 

Defense

The most experienced group on the team is the Big Red's backline. Denison returns two All-NCAC performers in Henri Heyes (First Team) and Zarius Eusebe (Second Team). Heyes, who started in all 23 games for the Big Red, scored two goals and had four assists while helping the Denison defense hold its opponents to just one goal in conference play, a conference-best last season. Joining Heyes on the offensive was fellow defender Eusebe, who finished the 2024 season with seven goals, the second most on the team, and two assists. Also returning are rising junior Andrew Nachtwey and rising sophomore Kaden Kist, who combined started in 42 games for the Big Red, bringing in a bevy of experience.

 

Goalkeeper

The Big Red will be tasked with replacing their First Team All-NCAC goalkeeper Tommy Prokos, who only gave up 12 goals on the season while recording 62 saves. Rising sophomore Ronan Kiter is the lone returner of the group, who played in one game and recorded one save. The Big Red would not leave Kiter out to dry, as this year's first-year class includes three goalkeepers looking to find their way in goal.

 

A Look at the Schedule

The season kicks off on the road in New Jersey, as the Big Red take on Stevens Institute of Technology on August 29 and Stockton University on August 31. The first home game of the season will be on September 5 as Denison takes on Franklin and Marshall College. The first conference game will be on Big Red Weekend, October 4, as the Big Red takes on the Kenyon College Owls. The last game of the regular season will be against John Carroll on November 1, and the NCAC Tournament will start on November 5.

 

Date	Location	Opponent	Time
8/29/2025	Hoboken, NJ	Stevens	7 PM
8/31/2025	Galloway, NJ	Stockton University	11 AM
9/5/2025	Granville, Ohio	Franklin and Marshall	7:30 PM
9/7/2025	Granville, Ohio	Johns Hopkins University	11 AM
9/12/2025	Granville, Ohio	Berea College (Ky.)	7 PM
9/17/2025	Westerville, Ohio	Otterbein University	7 PM
9/21/2025	Granville, Ohio	Centre College	1 PM
9/24/2025	Marietta, Ohio	Marietta College	7 PM
9/27/2025	Columbus, Ohio	Capital University	7 PM
10/4/2025	Granville, Ohio	Kenyon College Big Red Weekend	1 PM
10/8/2025	Granville, Ohio	The College of Wooster	7 PM
10/11/2025	Delaware, Ohio	Ohio Wesleyan University	7 PM
10/15/2025	Greencastle, Ind.	DePauw University	4 PM
10/18/2025	Granville, Ohio	Wittenberg University	1 PM
10/28/2025	Oberlin, Ohio	Oberlin College	3 PM
10/29/2025	Granville, Ohio	Wabash College	7 PM
11/1/2025	University Heights, Ohio	John Carroll University	1 PM