GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College Lords soccer team is optimistic again heading into 2018 with a No. 22 rank from the United Soccer Coaches and another stellar senior class helping lead the way. A season ago, Kenyon went 16-3-3, was undefeated during the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
This time around, the Lords return 11 letterwinners who each played in at least 19 matches last season. That list includes senior captains and All-NCAC performers Bret Lowry and David Anderson. Fellow fourth-year players Greg McNeer, Brice Koval, David Kim, Will Bennett and Keven Duan round out Kenyon's most significant contributors from past seasons.
 
That group will have to replace the likes of departed standouts Henry Myers, Alberto Carmona, Woo Jeon, Oliver Wynn and Billy O'Neill. Those graduates directed a four-year stretch in which the Lords racked up a 73-10-6 combined record.
 
Along the back end, Kenyon has solid leadership and ability. Lowry was a 2017 All-America selection by D3Soccer.com. McNeer, Sam Hosmer-Quint, Collyn Carpenter, Max Taylor and Duan have all shown they can make an impact, particularly after coming off a season in which they posted a dozen shutouts and held opponents to a mere 0.59 goals per game. In goal is sophomore Ian McInturf, who started all 22 games as a freshman.
 
In the midfield, Anderson, Kim, Gunner Found and John Penas have seen a lot of action the last few seasons, having played in nearly 180 combined matches.  Throw into the mix freshman Tomas Munoz, a shifty, 5-9 player from Chile, and the Lords should be solid, despite the departure of Carmona, another All-America selection from 2017.
 
The attacking third might be where the Lords need to step up the most, with several goal-scorers gone from last year. Koval, a second team All-NCAC member in 2017, is the top returning scorer, having tallied a half-dozen goals. Philippe Stengel is back after missing last year. As a freshman in 2016, the Miami, Florida native scored four times and added two assists.
 
Coach Chris Brown and assistant Darren Moore, as they have done in the past, will also play a bunch of freshmen. Kenyon brought in 11 recruits this season, most of which are forwards and midfielders. Along with Munoz, look for Aidan Schoellkopf, Scott Upton and Sam Carson to provide depth for the team.
 
The start of 2018 begins on August 31 when 24th-ranked John Carroll University comes to Mavec Field at 2:30. NCAC competition begins on September 21 when the Lords travel to Wittenberg University.