SUWANEE, Ga. -- In exclusive balloting by the league's head coaches, defending regular season champion Colorado College is the preseason favorite to win the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s soccer title.

The first team to go undefeated and untied in conference play (8-0-0) since the 2014 season, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight last season - the program's first NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in 30 years - before dropping a heartbreaking double-overtime match to Washington & Lee in penalty kicks, the third consecutive game that went into overtime for CC and the second of their last three that went into PKs.

Head coach Scott Palguta, the league's reigning Coach-of-the-Year, returns four first or second team all-conference players from a year ago, including two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year, Curtis Hale. The senior defender was the team captain and the leader of the CC defense that was second best in the SCAC in goals against average. He also had the game-winning goal in overtime against Ohio Northern in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The team's leading scorer from 2023, junior midfielder Oliver Ramirez is also back after an 18-point effort last season (eight goals, two assists).

Palguta, who has amassed a 107-38-21 career mark at Colorado College, enters his 10th season at the helm of the Tigers and has etched his name as the second-winningest coach in program history after surpassing 100 career wins this last year. CC concluded the 2023 campaign with an impressive 15-3-3 record, the team's best since the 1992 season.

CC received six of the possible 12 first-place votes in the preseason balloting, ending with 134 points and four points of second-place Trinity University, who earned two first-place votes and 130 points. University of St. Thomas, the league's three-time defending tournament champion, had one more first-place vote than Trinity (three) but finished third in the preseason rankings with 118 total points. All three teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, marking the second time in the last four seasons the SCAC has sent three teams into the national field.

Trinity returns all-SCAC senior forward Michael Meese, who was second on the team in scoring a year ago with nine goals and three assists (21 points). A first-team all-American as a freshman in 2021, Meese's career goals scored per game average of 0.75 is currently top 10 all-time on the SCAC charts.

At St. Thomas, the Celts welcome a new head coach to the pitch, Ernesto Ramirez, who will welcome back an experienced group determined to defend its SCAC Tournament crown. Among the returnees is senior forward Daniel Castro, who earned all-SCAC honors after finishing second in the conference in total points with 34 (14 goals; six assists). A third-team all-American as a sophomore, Castro's 43 career goals are the most among active players.

Texas Lutheran University and Southwestern University finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the preseason poll with 106 and 103 points. These two squads, along with the Colorado College, Trinity and St. Thomas, allowed the SCAC to claim an unprecedented achievement of having the top five ranked teams in the final set of NCAA Region 10 rankings heading into conference postseason play. The Bulldogs return senior midfielder Jack Manke, a 2023 USC First Team all-American, who tied for the team lead with nine goals, was second on the team with 20 points and led TLU with five game-winners. Among Southwestern's returnees, senior midfielder Michael Grimm earned First Team all-SCAC and Third Team all-Region honors for the Pirates after posting one goal and five assists in 2023.

Continuing down the coaches' preseason rankings, SCAC newcomer Concordia University (Texas) was the sixth selection with 85 points and Austin College finished seventh with 65 points. Another conference newcomer, University of the Ozarks, picked up the last first-place nod and occupied the eight position in the preseason rankings with 61 points.

Rounding out the balloting, Centenary College and Schreiner University tied for ninth with 38 points, the league's third new addition, McMurry University, was 11th with 33 points and University of Dallas was tabbed 12th with 25 points.

The SCAC men’s soccer season begins on Friday, August 31, with several teams competing in early season non-conference action over the Labor Day weekend. The first conference matches of the year are scheduled for Friday, September 27.

The 2024 SCAC Men’s Soccer Tournament will be return to SaberCats Stadium in Houston, Texas - marking the second consecutive year the venue will serve as host of the league's postseason championship event. Semifinal matches are scheduled for Friday, November 8 will the championship match contested on Sunday, November 10.