Coaching Staff: Chris Brown returns for his 13th season as head coach of the Kenyon Lords. In his previous 12 seasons, Brown compiled a combined record of 150-61-26 with three regular-season North Coast Athletic Conference titles (2007, 2015, 2016) and three NCAC tournament titles (2014, 2015, 2016). Five of his last seven teams earned berths in NCAA tournaments and both of his last two teams reached the tournament's quarterfinal round. Assistant Coach Darren Moore will be by Brown's side once again. Moore returns for his fifth season at Kenyon with his previous four resulting in a combined 73-12-6 record.

Last Season: The Lords went 20-3-0, setting a program record for wins in a season. They claimed their third-straight NCAC tournament title by defeating Oberlin College in the championship game. Advancing to the NCAA tournament, the Kenyon men knocked off Maryville, Lynchburg and Trinity before their run ended in the quarterfinal round with a 1-0 double-overtime loss at Tufts. The team ranked top-ten nationally in win-loss percentage, total goals, total points, goals against average, save percentage and shutout percentage.

Team Makeup: A freshman class that numbers 13 joins an already deep Kenyon roster. A big chunk of the returnees are geared toward defensive play, so there is room for players to step up on the attack. The Lords graduated an impressive class last year, but this season's senior group, led by Henry Myers, Woo Jeon and Oliver Wynn, is more than capable of sustaining the program's success. Those three seniors join juniors Bret Lowry and Alberto Carmona to round out the returning starters.

Top Returnees: The previously mentioned five returning starters are going to dictate how the 2017 season unfolds. Myers is an All-American who makes an impact all over the pitch and last season tied for the team lead in points (17). Jeon was one point shy of that mark and will be counted on for additional offensive punch. Wynn and Lowry added 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Carmona contributed five assists a season ago. Junior Brice Koval will also have a say in things, after coming off the bench to lead the team with eight goals during the 2016 campaign.

Significant Losses: The Lords lost a ton to graduation, including Tony Amolo's 50 career goals and 121 career points. Four-year starting goalkeeper Sam Clougher also graduated, taking with him a 0.63 career goals against average and a Kenyon record 45 shutouts. Also included in that senior class were players like Dalton Eudy, Josh Lee and Jordan Glassman, who combined to tally eight goals and seven assists in their final season.

Team Strength: The talented senior class will be the team's foundation. That group, as well as the rest of the returning players, also carry with them a persistent motivation to get to the next level. They know previous teams have set the bar high and understand the work that's required to remain elite, but they have embraced the challenging expectations and want nothing more than to exceed them.
   
Potential Problem: The loss of six starters from last year's squad is no easy obstacle to overcome. The Lords will most likely change up their formation to get the best production out of this new wave of starters. The defense will also be tasked with accommodating a new goalkeeper. Inevitably, there will be an adjustment period.

Schedule Check: The Lords will be tested right out of the gate as they host No. 20-ranked Carnegie Mellon University in the season opener at Mavec Field on September 1 and then follow with a road game at John Carroll, the defending champion of the Ohio Athletic Conference. A nice home stretch follows from mid-September through early October as the Lords host six straight home games, but that stretch includes NCAC contests against Wittenberg, Denison and Wabash, as well as challenging non-conference contests against Thomas More, Heidelberg and Case Western Reserve. Late season games against Ohio Wesleyan, DePauw and Oberlin will likely determine the outcome of the final conference standings.