CARMEL, Ind. – The Rose-Hulman men's soccer team has been picked to finish third in the HCAC Preseason Poll.
 
The Fightin' Engineers hauled in 66 points as a team, surpassing fourth place finishers Bluffton by 17 points. Rose-Hulman posted a record of 10-5-4 last season, while going 4-2-3 in the HCAC. They would advance to the semifinals of the HCAC Tournament, following a 1-0 victory over Anderson in the HCAC Quarterfinals.
 
Reigning HCAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions Transylvania finished first in the poll as they recorded 79 points with seven first place votes. Reigning HCAC Tournament Runners-Up, Hanover finished in second, as they secured 74 points with three first place votes.
 
Head Coach Sean Helliwell is back for his 19th season leading the Fightin' Engineers. He returns eight starters from last season, which includes reigning All-HCAC Second Team honorees, in senior Oliver Fila and junior Ryan Shapiro.
 
Fila started in all 19 games during the 2025 season, where he appeared in 1,451 minutes of action. He scored three goals, which included goals in back-to-back games against Bluffton and Manchester to close out the regular season. He would add a team-high four assists, finishing the season with ten points.
 
Shapiro appeared in all 19 games, making 18 starts during the 2025 season. During his 1,254 minutes played, Shapiro scored four goals and dished out three assists, for a team-high 11 points. He scored goals in consecutive games against Wabash and Principia before recording both a goal and an assist against Millikin the following week.
 
Other notable returners include senior Chase Kedzior, junior Eli Miller, and sophomore Justin Burns. Kedzior was the third Fightin' Engineer to record ten or more points last season, where he scored three goals with a team-high four assists. Miller added three goals with two assists, while leading the team with 24 shots on goal. Burns hauled in 56 saves with a 78.9% save percentage, where he led the HCAC with nine shutouts and 0.79 goals allowed per game.
 
The Fightin' Engineers will kick off the season at home against Greenville on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 PM. They will begin HCAC competition on the road against Berea on Saturday, September 26 at 3:30 PM.
 
HCAC PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:

1. Transylvania – 79 (7)
2. Hanover – 74 (3)
3. Rose-Hulman – 66
4. Bluffton – 49
5. Anderson – 48
6. Mt. St. Joseph – 47
7. Berea – 26
8. Manchester – 23
9. Franklin – 21
10. Earlham - 17