2023 SLC D1 Preseason Coaches Poll
- Concordia
- USC
- Grand Canyon
- Arizona State
- Arizona
- Chapman
- San Diego State
- UCLA
Concordia
Overall Record: 13-3
Conference Record: 7-0
Result of 2022 Season: First Round of Nationals
Head Coach: Jesse Foss (5th Season)
A heavy national championship favorite almost all year. Their only loss going into the SLC D1 Tournament was to BYU on the road by just one goal, but lost in the first round of the conference tournament to Grand Canyon. They received the No.9 seed at nationals and lost to eventual runner-up Georgia Tech in the first round.
This season they have one of the hardest schedules in the league. BYU, Cal, Cal Poly, UCSB, and South Carolina all in a row to start the season then Virginia Tech and Liberty in Virginia at the end of the season on top of an already tough conference schedule. They will be without their first and fourth leading scorers Troy Hofer and PBLA player James Chadwick, and without First Team SLC Goalie Tyler Schweickert. However other than those guys listed, most of last year’s team is back. This includes First Team SLC players Jake Cloutier (D), Braden Schnerider (D), and Cade Poe (FOS).
USC
Overall Record: 13-5
Conference Record: 5-2
Result of 2022 Season: SLC D1 Champions, Second Round of Nationals
Head Coach: Jake Van Nostrand (5th Season)
One of the best seasons in team history, they only lost to Cal Poly, Arizona State, Concordia, and Nevada before going on a run to win the SLC and then make it to the Elite Eight at nationals. This season they have another tough schedule which includes BYU, BC, and Utah Valley. Biggest losses are Second Team SLC Midfield players Jack Watters and Ryder Mora. However leading scorer Antonie Moats as well as First Team SLC Defender Donovan Econn and midfielder Harri Hetrick will be back. The team should be big again giving the Spartans plenty of depth.
Grand Canyon
Overall Record: 7-7
Conference Record: 4-3
Result of 2022 Season: First Round of Nationals
Head Coach: Jeff Guy (4th Season)
The Lopes had some ups and downs all season, however they came alive when it mattered most by upsetting Concordia in the first round of the SLC D1 Tournament to earn themselves an at-large bid to the national tournament where they lost to Liberty in the first round. This year they only have to travel as far as LA and San Diego and play Northeastern, BYU, Utah, and Oregon all at home. They keep their top four scorers including 60 point attackman Nick Whittall as well as Second Team SLC Goalie Jack Hives and Matt Hartig at faceoff. Their biggest loss is First Team SLC Defensive Midfielder Griffin Rodas.
Arizona State
Overall Record: 7-6
Conference Record: 3-4
Result of 2022 Season: Ineligible for SLC, MCLA Tournaments
Head Coach: Justin Straker (2nd Season)
Had some huge wins over Clemson and USC, and were primed to make a run at the SLC Tournament, but were unfortunately disqualified due to an ineligible player on the roster. They get to stay in Tempe all year except for two trips to LA and San Diego. They also host BYU, Northeastern, and Michigan State in one weekend in March. An extremely young team, they only lost a couple seniors last year and return First Team SLC Midfielder Jack Rogers as well as their five other top scorers behind Rogers.
Arizona
Overall Record: 9-6
Conference Record: 5-2
Result of 2022 Season: First Round of Nationals
Head Coach: Matt Blamey (6th Season)
The Wildcats had wins over Chapman, UCLA, SDSU, and GCU which got them into the SLC Tournament where they lost a close one to USC. In the national tournament they lost in the first round to eventual champions South Carolina. This year they host TCU, Oregon, Northeastern, and also play Cal in LA. Leading score Max Bergamo will be back however the next five scorers on the team graduated. On defense, starting goalie Tommy Atella, First Team SLC LSM Ian Takas, and Second Team SLC Defenseman Connor Willihnganz return along with plenty of freshman and NCAA transfers.
Chapman
Overall Record: 7-7
Conference Record: 3-4
Head Coach: Joel Kallas (1st Season)
Long time assistant and alumni of the program, Joel Kallas, takes over as head coach after MCLA HOFer Dallas Hartley retired. Had some good conference wins late to keep their postseason hopes alive, but were ultimately eliminated only because Arizona State had to forfeit games. It can be argued they have one of the hardest if not the hardest schedule in the league. They start the season flying to Minnesota in February to play UMN and Northeastern. They also play Cal, Santa Clara, Clemson, BC, South Carolina, Cal Poly, and UCSB on top of their conference schedule. SLC OPOTY Liam Nelson is back, and their only big loss is Fran Bonadies (17G/21A) at attack.
San Diego State
Overall Record: 3-9
Conference Record: 1-6
Head Coach: Bryan Bome (5th Season)
Best wins last year were over UCSB and Sonoma State. This season they play SLC DII Champions CSUSM to start the season and host Washington in March. They lost a decent amount of seniors, mainly on defense, but were able to bring in a lot of new guys to keep the roster big. Leading scorer from last year Brian Davito will be back for just his second season.
UCLA
Overall Record: 4-8
Conference Record: 0-7
Head Coach: Larry Turkheimer (1st Season)
The Bruins worked harder than anyone this past offseason hiring coaches, aligning their program as much as they can to a Division I program. They hired former UNC All-American Larry Turkheimer as HC, former UNC football and lacrosse player Jesse Cuccia as OC, and former Fort Lewis Captain Tim Topper as another assistant. They get to stay home for the first ten games and host BYU, UCSB, and Clemson before taking short trips to Orange County and San Diego. Only five players on the team are not seniors so there is plenty of experience. Lead Rhett Farmer who had 21 goals and 9 assists is among the senior group.
