ATLANTA, Ga. (August 23, 2023) – Defending co-champion Rhodes was picked No. 1 in a very tight vote at the top of the 2023 Southern Athletic Association men’s soccer preseason poll. Four schools received first place votes and just two points separated the top-four spots.
 
Rhodes (three first place votes) earned 39 points to narrowly edge Berry by one point (1 first place vote). Oglethorpe (three first place votes) and Sewanee tied for third with 37 points while defending tournament champion Birmingham-Southern was fifth with a first place nod.
 
2023 SAA Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Rhodes - 39 pts (3)
2. Berry - 38 pts (1)
T3. Oglethorpe - 37 pts (3)
T3. Sewanee - 37 pts
5. Birmingham-Southern (1) - 25 pts
6. Hendrix - 21 pts
7. Centre - 20 pts
8. Millsaps - 7 pts
The poll was conducted among the conference’s eight head coaches.
 
Rhodes went unbeaten in the SAA last season, posting a 4-0-3 mark to share the regular season title with Sewanee. The Lynx return the core of the top defense in the SAA last year that surrendered just two goals in conference play. Goalkeeper Michael Fenton was named the SAA Defensive Player of the Year to anchor the group. Rhodes brings back three all-conference performers from a year ago, headlined by first teamers Jesus Tadeo and Eli Pilcher.
 
Berry finished fourth in the SAA regular season last year and advanced to the conference tournament title game, tying with Birmingham-Southern but coming up short in penalty kicks. The Vikings were hot at the end of the season, going 3-1-2 in October to set up its tournament run. Five All-SAA players return, led by first teamer Nathan Carlson and second teamer Tracy Moon.
 
Seven SAA teams kick off their seasons on Friday, September 1 with Sewanee getting started the following day. The 2023 SAA Tournament starts on Saturday, October 28 with first round matches on campus sites. The remaining four teams will travel to the highest remaining seed November 3-5 to decide a conference champion.