CMS Men's Soccer Picked No. 14 in United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team, which won SCIAC and NCAA Regional Championships when it last competed in 2019, was picked No. 14 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Preseason Poll as it heads into its first action in two years.

The Stags open their season at home on Wednesday, Sept. 1 against UC Santa Cruz, anxious to return to action after one of the most successful seasons in decades. CMS swept the regular season and postseason SCIAC titles in 2019, winning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 win over Redlands in the SCIAC finals. The Stags then picked up 2-0 wins over Texas Lutheran and Trinity (Texas) to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in over 35 years. 

Two years worth of classes have graduated since then, and CMS has welcomed back alum Ryan Fahey (CMC '10) as the program's new head coach, who missed out on his debut season in 2020 when sports were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Stags had lots of young talent in 2019 who are still around, hoping to help the program pick up where it left off. 

Leading the way will be senior forwards Ethan Tyng and William Barton, who were the top two scorers on the Stags in 2019. Tyng finished with nine goals and two assists, earning MVP honors at the SCIAC Tournament after scoring in both the semifinals and finals, while Barton ended with seven goals and five assists. Junior Jake Allmon also showed promise in his rookie season with three goals. 

In the midfielder, senior Samay Rahim was a first-team All-SCIAC selection in 2019 as a sophomore, and senior Nate Huntington is returning for his third year as a starter. Junior Troy Lehenbauer also became a starting defensive midfielder by the end of his rookie season in 2019 as well. 

Defensively, CMS graduated its two standout center backs, including SCIAC Player of the Year Adam Singer, and All-American outside back William Birchard. Senior Grant Donaldson will be back to anchor that unit, in front of senior goalie Eduardo De Anda. 

After facing UC Santa Cruz, the Stags host Westmont on Friday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. and then welcome Oglethorpe on Sept. 10, which was one of only four schools to defeat the Stags in 2019 (a 2-1 defeat on opening day in Atlanta).