Oregon State Men's Soccer Starts Season Ranked #4 in the Nation
Oregon State is starting its first season in the West Coast Conference with some high expectations. After their deepest NCAA Tournament in program history, all the way to the College Cup, the Beavers are entering the 2024 season ranked 4th in the nation in a preseason poll by the United Soccer Coaches.
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This is the highest ranking the Beavers have ever had entering a season, and they're among some familiar company. Last year's NCAA Champion Clemson is ranked first overall. Notre Dame, the tournament runner up who knocked Oregon State out is #2, while fellow semifinalist West Virginia is ranked third. The Beavers are also right in front of former conference rival Stanford, who will start the season ranked fifth.
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One other name to watch for in the rankings is Portland, who will enter the season ranked 22nd. The Pilots have been one of the WCC's premier programs for quite awhile, and had high expectations last season before they fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Beavers. This year's rematch should be a fun one.
Oregon State's season starts on August 22nd, when they'll take on UC Irvine.
Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.