BRIGHTON, Mich. – The Trine University men's soccer team will head into the 2026 season looking to defy the expectations of their peers and to improve on their 2025 campaign. The Thunder were selected to tie for sixth in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) by the conference's coaches poll released today.

The association's coaches voted for the poll with the high point total receiving the top spot. Coaches could not vote for their own team. The defending champions from Calvin University were granted the top spot with 48 points and six of the first-place tallies. Hope College finished second with 44 points and the final first-place votes. Trine finished with 15 points in a tie with Alma College for sixth.

The Thunder finished last season with a 0-5-2 record in MIAA play, with the draws coming against Alma and The University of Olivet. Overall, the team went 1-13-3 in head coach Tim McClements' first year at the helm. McClements continues to navigate a transition period for the program after the departure of one head coach and a season under an interim.

The team's relative inexperience, caused by a strong senior class graduating after the successful 2024 campaign, showed in 2025 especially in the wins column. An influx of young talent and a few crucial returners should improve the team's chances this season.

Leading the way for the returners is senior Ben Borak who led the scoring for the Thunder last season. Colin Clark, who was second on the team in scoring, is also back on the team. The Thunder also returns both Dillon Lambert and Brandon Walker who shared most of the minutes in net for the Trine.

Trine's slate of matches features 16 games with an even split of home and away contests. They open the year at home, hosting DePauw University on Tuesday, September 1. The Thunder then hit the road for contests against Beloit College and Bluffton University before their second home contest comes on Saturday, Sept. 12, versus Concordia University Wisconsin.  

The team alternates road trips through the remainder of the non-conference schedule. They travel to face Wheaton (Ill.) College, Manchester University and Ohio Northern University. They will host North Park University and Case Western Reserve University.

There are plenty of familiar faces in the first half of the season, with four squads returning to the schedule from 2025. Bluffton was one of Trine's three draws last year, while both North Park and DePauw were close contests until the final minutes of play. Ohio Northern, who as nationally ranked in 2025, was the lone lopsided result among the returning teams.

For the conference season the Thunder will travel to face Olivet, Hope and Calvin. They will host Kalamazoo College, Adrian College, Albion College and Alma. Olivet serves as the conference opener on Wednesday, Oct. 7 while Albion concludes the season on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Trine will open their season next Tuesday when they host DePauw. That contest is scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m., following the conclusion of women's soccer game against Hanover College.