BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – After back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament championships, SIUE men's soccer has been tabbed as the favorites once again in the OVC.

The Cougars received 14 of a possible 16 first-place votes and 98 total points in the preseason poll.

Houston Christian received two first-place votes and 69 points to narrowly edge Lindenwood (67 points) for the No. 2 spot in the league's preseason poll. Liberty (64 points) was fourth.

The top six teams in league play will advance to the OVC Championship, with the top two seeds earning byes to the semifinal round. The tournament winner claims the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. After two years at SIUE, this year's tournament will be held on the Lindenwood campus for the first time.

In addition to the preseason poll, the league released its list of Players to Watch, featuring one player from each program. Redshirt sophomore defender Archie McDonnel was named SIUE's Player to Watch.

McDonnell appeared in 19 of SIUE's 20 games in 2024 and made 15 starts. He played at least 90 minutes in 11 games, registering six shots.

The Cougars will play host to Evansville Saturday night at Korte Stadium in the final preseason game of the year. The regular season opens Aug. 21 when Florida Gulf Coast comes to Edwardsville for a 7 p.m. game.

2025 OVC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. SIUE (14 first-place votes) - 98 points
2. HCU (2) - 69
3. Lindenwood - 67
4. Liberty - 64
5. UIW - 55
6. Western Illinois - 39
7. Eastern Illinois - 38
8. Southern Indiana - 18

2025 OVC Men's Soccer Players to Watch
Eastern Illinois: Yuki Nakamura, Midfielder, Senior
Houston Christian: Ryan Okerayi, Forward, Junior
Liberty: Aidan Morrison, Midfielder, Sophomore
Lindenwood: Sebastia Cerda-Tous, Forward, Senior
SIUE: Archie McDonnell, Central Defender, R-Sophomore.
Southern Indiana: David Davila, Forward, Sophomore
UIW: Rochaine Baker, Defender, Senior
Western Illinois: Liam Gainey, Forward, Senior