Men's soccer voted fourth in A-R-C Preseason Coaches’ Poll

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Simpson College men's soccer team was selected fourth in the American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.

The Storm are coming off a season in which they earned the No. 2 seed in the American Rivers Conference Tournament, the team's highest seed since 2001. Overall, Simpson finished 7-7-1 with a 5-2-1 conference mark last season. "After a second place finish in the conference a year ago, I think this team is excited to see if they can take that final step," said head coach Rick Isaacson. "I'm eager to see how the group comes together."

Two of the most notable contributors for the Storm who are returning this season include Alan Imamovic and Roderick Orellana-Lemus. Imamovic, an Urbandale, Iowa native, was a mainstay across the backline for the Storm last season. He earned A-R-C First Team honors last season while also winning the A-R-C Defensive Player of the Week award on Nov. 1. Orellana-Lemus, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, earned A-R-C Honorable Mention accolades and is set to build on a season where he started 14 of 16 total games, being one of six players to play over 1000 total minutes.

Other notable returners to the Simpson squad are seniors Baraka Ellie and Ricardo Ibarra, as well as junior Mateaus Lewis. Ellie is a three-time A-R-C First Team selection, but saw his 2021 campaign cut short due to injury. Ibarra was named A-R-C Honorable Mention in 2020 while also netting the game-winning goal last season at Hamline. Lewis has been a regular contributor for the Storm up front the last two seasons, appearing in 14 of 16 matches last season, starting 13 of them.

"The 2022 schedule was created to prepare our team for the rigors of A-R-C competition," said Isaacson. "We think the pieces to the puzzle are in place to contend for a championship this fall and if the right leadership emerges on this team, we will put a winning product on the field."

Dubuque, the defending regular season champions, earned first place honors in the poll, garnering five of nine first-place votes for a total of 60 points. Defending A-R-C Tournament Champions Loras (54 points) and Luther (52 points) finished in second and third place, respectively, with each of them splitting the four remaining first-place votes.

Simpson (43 points) checked in at fourth position on the poll, just ahead of Wartburg (37 points) in fifth. Nebraska Wesleyan (32 points) and Central (23 points) took the next two spots before Coe (13 points) and Buena Vista (10 points) rounded out the poll.

After a couple of scrimmages, Simpson hosts its alumni game on Aug. 27 at 5 p.m. The first official match for the Storm takes place on the road on Sep. 1 at 6 p.m. against Augustana.

2022 American Rivers Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Dubuque (13-4-1, 8-0 A-R-C) - 60 points
2. Loras (14-7-2, 5-2-1 A-R-C) - 54 points
3. Luther (10-7-3, 4-1-3 A-R-C) - 52 points
4. Simpson (7-7-2, 5-2-1 A-R-C) - 43 points
5. Wartburg (7-7-3, 4-3-1 A-R-C) - 37 points
6. Nebraska Wesleyan (5-8-3, 2-4-2 A-R-C) - 32 points
7. Central (4-10-1, 2-5-1 A-R-C) - 23 points
8. Coe (1-14-3, 0-6-2 A-R-C) - 13 points
9. Buena Vista (2-12-2, 0-7-1 A-R-C) - 10 points