CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Wabash College was picked to finish sixth in the 2025 North Coast Athletic Conference men's soccer preseason coaches poll released Tuesday afternoon.
The Little Giants earned 33 points in the voting, placing behind preseason favorite Denison University. The Big Red collected six of the nine first-place votes and 78 points to top the poll. Kenyon was second with 71 points and two first-place votes, followed by Ohio Wesleyan with 62 points and the remaining first-place vote.
DePauw finished fourth in the voting with 48 points, one spot ahead of John Carroll with 47 points. Wooster (23), Oberlin (21), and Wittenberg (2) rounded out the poll.
Wabash returns four of its top five scorers from last year's team that finished 10-6-2 overall and 3-4-1 in conference play, placing fifth in the NCAC standings. Senior Jose Escalante, a 2024 First Team All-NCAC selection, led the Little Giants with nine goals and two assists in 17 games. Alfredo Campos, a 2024 Third Team All-NCAC pick, added six goals and two assists in 18 appearances. Jesse Martinez contributed three goals and five assists, while Angel Vazquez tallied three goals and four assists.
Defender Niall Gavin started 16 games and appeared in all 18 contests for Wabash last season. He is expected to help anchor the back line while freshmen goalkeepers Ansel Rincon and Francisco Hermosillo join sophomore Colin Sutter in competing for the starting role in net.
The Little Giants open the 2025 season at home Friday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. against Franklin College. They return to Fischer Field on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m. to face Manchester University.
