Indianapolis, IN - The Lake Erie College men's soccer team was selected to finish fifth in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, the league office announced Wednesday. 

The Storm, who finished sixth in the league a season ago with a 5-5-8 overall record and 5-5-4 conference mark, totaled 69 points in a tightly bunched top five. Tiffin earned 91 points with five first-place votes to top the poll, while Cedarville was close behind with 90 points and five first-place votes of its own. Kentucky Wesleyan, which garnered one first-place vote, was third with 73 points, with Findlay checking in fourth with 72 tallies. 

The Storm, who fell in the G-MAC Tournament Quarterfinals last fall, have the core in place to potentially make a deeper run this season as they return their top-10 point-producers from 2025. Senior Dario Stadler headlines the bunch after earning a team-high 10 points on four goals and two assists. 

G-MAC second-team selection Luka Bekovic leads a rearguard that finished fifth in the league in goals allowed last fall. Furthermore, senior goalkeeper David Ruiz Ospina looks to build on his impressive junior campaign, which featured six shutouts and 45 saves over 17 starts. 

"I'm very excited to get started on this season," 10th-year head coach Louie Rolko said. "This has been one of my favorite groups to work with, and we return almost our entire team from last year. The conference is very competitive, and it gets better each year. I am eager to see how we progress throughout the season and watch this team grow and compete for another G-MAC Championship."

The Storm will be battle-tested early with four of their first five matches away from Campus Field, including the season opener on August 27 at Gannon. Lake Erie first takes to home soil on Saturday, September 5 against Roosevelt at noon, while the conference slate commences on September 10 with an 8:30 p.m. affair at Kentucky Wesleyan. 

2026 Great Midwest Men's Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Tiffin- 91 points (5 first-place votes)
2. Cedarville- 90 points (5 first-place votes)
3. Kentucky Wesleyan- 73 points (1 first-place vote)
4. Findlay- 72 points
5. Lake Erie- 69 points
6. Thomas More- 63 points
7. Ashland- 43 points
8. Walsh- 35 points
9. Ohio Dominican- 33 points
10. Northwood- 19 points
11. Malone- 16 points