Big ten season preview
Will Indiana repeat as Big Ten Champions or will a new team get their name on the trophy?
July 8, 2024 I Jack Latterman I Big Ten
The Hoosiers will continue their hot run of form and Michigan State’s stock will continue to rise, while Northwestern and Michigan will fall back to the bottom after solid 2023 seasons. Watch out for a loaded Maryland side after their worst season in quite some time last year.
I would like to preface all of this by saying that this is an opinion piece. I have watched all these teams play last season and done heavy research to create this preview, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be correct… and that is what makes sports so great! My intention is not to make anyone angry with a preseason poll, as they are rarely accurate anyways. This is what I think might happen and I would love to hear if you agree or disagree.
The Big Ten is consistently one of the top performing conferences in college soccer, but they only had one team find their name on the NCAA Tournament bracket in 2023. The Indiana Hoosiers made a run to the quarterfinals, before a tough loss in PK’s to in-state rival Notre Dame. There were many surprises last season, and many questions that will be answered in just a few months time.
Washington and UCLA have both joined the Big Ten and will make this congested conference even tougher in 2024.
Washington
The Huskies had a disappointing season in 2023 finishing with just 5 wins. With that being said, they beat Indiana (#5 at the time) and Portland (#5 at the time), as well as getting a point at Stanford (#1 at the time).
They are losing quite a few key pieces with Nate Jones, Gabe Threadgold, Kalani Rossa-Rienzi, and Christian Soto all no longer on the roster. 2023 starting goalkeeper Sam Fowler has also graduated.
With that being said, they are returning Peter Kingston and Chris Meyers, who will likely play a big role this season. One player to look out for is Charlie Kossakoff who played well in spurts during his Freshman season.
I think Washington will have a mediocre first season in the Big Ten, mostly due to the loss of key pieces. I am interested to see how the long travel trips to away games on the East Coast impact them.
UCLA
The Bruins had a great 9-win season last year, finding their way into the NCAA Tournament. They didn’t play the strongest schedule ever, but went unbeaten in Pac-12 play and won their first conference championship since 2014.
The squad is a bit depleted after losing its top 3 scorers last season in Jack Sarkos, Rya Becher, and Sean Karani. They also are without 3 starting defenders from last season with Doody, Schwartz, and Silva all graduating.
Andre Ochoa will be the center piece of this UCLA team in 2024, coming off a 4 goal and 7 assist season. I believe he will lead the team in points this season, and will have a big year along with Jose Contell. Another strong point for the Bruins is their two young goalkeepers who are both returning.
Similarly to Washington, UCLA have lost many key pieces on both sides of the ball, so I am a bit worried about that. I think they will have an ok season, but not back-up last season the way they would like to.
Indiana
Indiana are almost always the favorite to win this conference, and for good reason. Not only are they coming off a Big Ten Championship and run to the NCAA quarterfinal, but they are also bringing back a large portion of their difference makers.
After starting out winless in their first 3 matches in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers won 4 of 5 to find their name atop the standings. Wins over Wake Forest and UVA were also very impressive in tournament play.
IU are going to be without Joey Mayer and Hugo Bacharach this season, and won’t have striker Maouloune Goumballe up front for the first time in years.
That being said, they are returning the vast majority of their lethal attack. Sam Sarver, Collins Oduro, and Tommy Mihalic will be bringing the fire power upfront once again, and Luka Bezzera, the younger brother of Victor Bezzera who lit up Bloomington a few years ago will likely get a chance after coming off the bench last season. Starting goalie JT Harms is also back.
They also brought in Northwestern forward Justin Weiss who will add even more to this scary front line. Luke Jeffus also transferred in from Tulsa and Quinton Elliot joined this spring from Louisville. They are reloading with quality.
The difference maker in my eyes is Patrick McDonald. The center midfielder scored 3 goals and had 5 assists in 2023. I think he is one of the top two center midfielders on the conference and is going to have a breakout season in 2024,
Indiana are my favorites to win the conference, but I don’t think they will run away with it.
Penn State
Penn State grabbed a share of the Big Ten title in 2023 with a 10-win season. They were left out of the NCAA Tournament on decision day, which was disappointing.
The Nittany Lions will be without their 3 major leaders from last season in Kris Shakes, Femi Awodesu, and Peter Mangione. Alex Stevenson, and Liam Butts were also big pieces last year that have departed.
They do have a few nice young pieces returning in Caden Grabfelder and Mohamed Cisset who both had strong Freshman campaigns. Grabfelder is the one to look out for this year as a real threat to take over games. Penn State also brought in Brown transfer Kojo Dadzie who scored 7 goals last season and Villanova defender Jack Bonas who will likely slot into the starting center back role.
The Nittany Lions have a difficult non-conference schedule taking on 2023 National Champion Clemson and ACC top dog Pitt in the month of August. They will be battle tested, but I’m not sure if they will be able to handle Big Ten opponents like they did last season. I have them finishing around Washington and UCLA in the lower middle of the table.
Michigan State
The Spartans are coming off a fantastic spring season where they won the Spring League Championship by beating Marshall. They finished third in the Big Ten in 2023 and proved that they can be very dangerous this season.
Jacob Cromer, Elijah Howe, and Jack Zugay have departed, but they have replacements lined up for all three. Transfers Ryan Van De Winkle and Shion Soga slotted in nicely for the spring season and center back Josh Adam will return for his senior campaign after an ACL injury in 2023.
The Spartans bring back goalkeeper Zac Kelly who led the Big Ten in saves per game last season as well as Cristiano Bruletti, who in my opinion is the best center mid in the Big Ten. They also bring back Stout, Kerrigan, and Ludwig, who all scored in huge moments last season.
I think MSU have the roster and experience to be dangerous in the Big Ten this season. They have plenty of attacking weapons and if they can defend like they did last season, they will finish in the top third of the table. I think they finish top 3 and compete for the title.
Northwestern
The Wildcats are coming off a 10-win season where they shocked the Big Ten soccer world. They came out of nowhere going unbeaten in their first 12 matches.
Weiss, as I mentioned earlier, left for Indiana, which is a really tough loss for the ‘Cats. Ugh Achara Jr. and Rom Brown also both graduated, meaning their top 3 scorers from last season are all gone. Starting goalkeeper Jackson Weyman is also no longer with NU.
One player to watch out for in 2024 is Fritz Volmar, who started 16 matches last season as a Freshman. They added Thaddaeus Dewing from the Air Force Academy, who scored 3 goals last year and 8 in 2022.
Northwestern shocked last year and very well could again this season, but I don’t think they will be able to win as many games with so many goalscorers gone. I think they will finish towards the bottom of the conference standings.
Michigan
Michigan had a strange season last year, starting poorly, but getting 5 draws in conference play. They ended up having a relatively decent year, but I’m not sure if it was a fluke or if they can keep moving forward.
The Wolverine’s top scorer from 2023 was Freshman Alex Waggoner, but he decided to transfer to Portland. Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, who started in every match, is also no longer with the squad.
Bryce Blevins will be back to lead this team for his fifth year and Quin Rogers is back in the midfield. Joao Paulo Ramos is a player to watch for U of M. He had a strong Freshman season and will likely be a big part of the midfield this season.
I’m a bit worried about Waggoner’s departure as they found a great goalscorer, then he immediately left. I think Michigan may struggle a bit this season and think they will finish towards the bottom of the table.
Wisconsin
The Badgers started 3-0 last season, including a win over then #2 Kentucky, but struggled a bit after that.
Wisconsin lost their leading goal scorer Max Keenan and goalkeeper Nate Crockford. Besides those two, the Badgers are returning much of their squad.
Birgir Baldvinnson, Ryan Quintos, Drew Brown, and Ryan Keefe all return for the backline. Charlie Crockford and Kevin Andrews are also back in the middle. Wisconsin is bringing back a lot of weapons. Thomas Raimbault had a great first season in 2023 and is someone who could make an impact.
I like Wisco to have a solid season and finish in the upper middle of the table. I think they could be the Michigan State of last season.
Ohio State
Ohio State finished 6-6-6 last season, with a few up and down spells throughout. They lost in PKs to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semis.
The Buckeyes’ leading scorer and captain Laurence Wooten will not be with the team this season after being drafted. They also lost defenders Brayden Durbin and Siggi Magnusson, who both started every match last season.
Andre Roberts returns looking to follow up on his 3-goal Freshman season. Luciano Pechota is also back for OSU as a dangerous winger. These two along with Anthony Samways will play a big role in the Ohio State attack, but there are some real question marks on their back line.
I think the ceiling is high if they can sort out their back line with all the centerpieces departing, but the floor is also quite low. I think they will finish in the lower middle of the table.
Rutgers
The Scarlett Knights struggled to keep balls out of their own net last season, leading the Big Ten in goals allowed.
Jackson Temple, their leading scorer from last season, graduated and Matthew Acosta, who scored three last year, transferred to UNC.
Curt Calov is back up front along with Ian Abbey and Ola Maeland. These three are great attacking weapons for a team that may need to score goals because they haven’t been great at stopping opponents.
I think Rutgers will finish middle of the table and might struggle against the top teams, but succeed against the bottom level sides.
Maryland
Last year’s biggest surprise was the poor performance of Maryland. The Terps are consistently challenging for Big Ten Titles, but last season did not perform. They didn’t come up with a single win in conference play, but I think that could’ve been a fluke year.
Maryland lost senior leader and top-goalscorer Stefan Copetti and Freshman start Kimani Stewart-Banes, who got drafted early in the MLS Superdraft.
The Terrapins have a few strong players coming in for the 2024 season. Brown goalie Hudson Blatteis and Yale Forward Max Rogers were two of the best players in the Ivy League last season and will look to make an immediate impact for Sasho Cirovski’s side.
Luke Van Heukelum, Colin Griffith, and Max Riley all return and will make up this dangerous MD attack. Kenny Quist-Therson is a player to watch in the middle of the field and is one that I think will breakout this season.
Although Maryland had a terrible season last year, their star players have gotten a year under their belt and they have brought in difference makers through the portal. I like Maryland to finish top 3 and make a real push for the title.
2023 Final Standings
2024 Predictions
- Indiana
- Michigan State
- Maryland
- UCLA
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
- Michigan
- Northwestern
Ivy League Preview
The Ivy League came down to the wire in 2023 and I expect the same to happen again this year. There is a gap between the top of the table and the struggling teams, but that means the first 3-4 will be even closer come the final week. I expect multiple teams to compete and think any of those few could win the league, as well as the tournament. I am having a really hard time picking the order of the top 3.
Atlantic 10 Preview
This conference is filled with attacking weapons, but there is quite a bit of turnover on the backlines of most of these sides. I expect high scoring, exciting games throughout the A-10 season. Watch out for URI and St. Bonaventure to be much improved and fight towards the top of the table. VCU struggled in non-conference play in 2023, but turned it on late, winning their last 3 matches to secure…
MVC Preview
WMU entered the conference last season and did not disappoint. It was a fantastic battle between them and Missouri St. for the title. Quite a few teams towards the bottom of the table struggled, but I really feel like one or two will make a real run towards the top 3 or 4. Call me crazy, but I think Western is going to have a rough year after losing 75% of their difference makers.
WCC Preview
Between Portland, Santa Clara, San Diego, and new comers Oregon State, this conference is absolutely loaded. The battle for the conference title will likely be extremely tight and these conference matchups will be incredible to watch. I think Portland and Oregon State will finish 1,2, but the questions is who will take home the championship? I’m going Portland!
Patriot League Preview
The Patriot League is always interesting because there seem to be new teams making surprise runs each season. I see Loyola and BU being strong again, and Holy Cross and American being those teams who shock some people. BU had a fantastic season last year, winning 12 matches, doubling their total from 2023, and tripling it from 2021. The Terriers also won the Patriot League…
Big East Preview
The Big East is a conference with a few top dogs at the top, headlined by Georgetown, but lacking the depth that many of these other big soccer conferences have. In 2022, Creighton made it to the NCAA Tournament semis, when Duncan McGuire went on an absolute terror, but they struggled last season. The Hoyas were one of the nation’s top ranked teams throughout 2023…