Following a 2025 season that saw the Big Red reach the NCAA Tournament and maintain the No. 1 ranking in the country, the 2026 Denison men's soccer team is ready to roll this fall, aiming to repeat the formula with a deeper run. 

2025 Recap

The Big Red got off to a hot start in the 2025 season, going 9-0-1 in their first 10 matches, remaining undefeated through 12 contests.The stretch of play was good enough to earn the top ranking in the country for four consecutive weeks in the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25.  The team kept the early-season momentum steady, going 5-1-2 in conference play and reaching the NCAC Tournament Championship, eventually falling short against DePauw in the title match. 

Denison then received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where the Big Red headed out east to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. In their first round matchup, the squad pulled away in dramatic fashion with a last-minute goal to defeat Washington and Lee 1-0 to advance to the second round of the tournament. Ultimately, the Big Red fell to host Dickinson 2-0, ending their postseason run with a 15-3-3 final record. The team went undefeated at home, going 7-0-2.

NCAC Preseason Poll

The Big Red are slated second in the NCAC preseason poll, totaling 73 points with two first-place votes. In front is DePauw (75), and behind are Kenyon (57),
Wooster (50), and Ohio Wesleyan (47).

 

2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
Place	Institution (1st Place Votes)	Total Points
1	DePauw (7)	75
2	Denison (2)	73
3	Kenyon	57
4	Wooster	50
5	Ohio Wesleyan	47
6	John Carroll	39
7	Wabash	29
8	Oberlin	18
9	Wittenberg	17

Denison lost their All-Americans in Kameron Kist (first team) and Henri Heyes (fourth team) but return solid production in all phases on the pitch. Second team honorees Eli Taylor and Kaden Kist return with experience both on offense and defense. Taylor was second on the team in goals with six, and was tied second on the team with 14. His three game-winning goals was good for second in the conference, respectively. Kist was the only sophomore on the team to garner all-conference honors, and he was a threat on both sides, leading the conference in assists with eight and had five shots on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Provost was named third team All-NCAC honors for his efforts in the net. As a first-year, he led the conference in shutouts (9), goals scored (12), goals against average (.675), and save percentage (.789). Provost also had 45 saves on the year and 2.37 saves per game.

A Look at the Schedule

• Home Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Capital at 7:30 pm
• Family Weekend/Senior Day: Sept. 26 vs. Carnegie Mellon at 2:30 pm
• NCAC Opener: Oct. 3 at Wooster at 1 pm
• Regular Season Finale: Oct. 31 vs. Oberlin at 2:30 pm