Chicago, Ill. - With a year under his belt as the head coach of the men's soccer program, Marlon McKenzie feels he's in a good place entering his second season at the helm.

"A bit more relaxed," said McKenzie. "I have a good sense of the players now and what they're capable of and what they're capable of doing. So I think the players have a better sense of my style and how I want to play the game and how I see the game. So I'm ready, I'm ready for Friday."

Today is that Friday, the men's soccer season and home opener, as they host Saint Mary's of Minnesota at 5:00pm at Stuart Field.

The Scarlet Hawks are coming off a season in which they went 9-7-3 overall, 5-6-1 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, earned the sixth seed in the NACC conference tournament before bowing out in the first round to third-seeded MSOE.

For the upcoming season, the Scarlet Hawks were picked to finish in seventh place in the NACC men's soccer pre-season poll voted on by the conference coaches and sports communication staff members.

McKenzie and the team feel the seventh place ranking can be used as a motivational tool heading into conference play later in September.

"I was hoping for at least sixth," said McKenzie, which would have matched their 2024 conference finish. "But I'll take it a little personal, and we're going to make some noise about it."

Regardless of the pre-season poll ranking, McKenzie has liked what he has seen and learned about his 2025 squad.

"I like how much they want it," McKenzie. "How much they want to be great. How much they want to make Illinois Tech men's soccer a force in the conference. They've show that all preseason, they've fought, they've worked hard, they've pushed the boundaries, the limits of how much they can perform, what they can do on the field. I'm pretty excited about what we'll do this year."

While the Scarlet Hawks had eight players depart in the offseason, they brought in nine new players, all freshmen, in McKenzie's first official recruiting class. So far, he has been impressed with his newcomers.

"What I've learned is that they're gonna bring some impact, and the one word I would use to describe them is that they're competitors," McKenzie said. "We have guys that have made an immediate impact already in terms of how they are adapting to the system, adding to the quality on the field, the intensity, the drive, and just fitting in as great teammates, and potential leaders and stars on his team. I believe that there's a few of the first years that will definitely leave a legacy at Illinois Tech."

McKenzie feels at least one freshmen will crack the starting lineup, with others knocking on the door and not too far away.

While the infusion of newcomers is important to a program still ascending, it's the veteran players who will help take the team in the direction they want to go. To that end, McKenzie feels he has an impactful group of leaders.

"(Similar to team captains) we have more of a leadership group," said McKenzie. "We have four guys that have been doing a great job. Ben (Mehl), Matt (Watson), Christian (Garcia), and Dominik (Kroupa). Those guys have been doing a great job getting things organized, leading the team, setting the standard, and enforcing those standards and I really appreciate the work they've put in thus far."

McKenzie also has a vision about what he wants Illinois Tech men's soccer to be.

"I've been stressing during the preseason that it's all about writing a legacy for the men's soccer program, and I want my team to be the hardest, most intense team on the pitch," said McKenzie. "I hope when teams come up against Illinois Tech, they notice that, they feel that, they see that. And I think that will happen this season."

That season starts tonight with the Scarlet Hawks home opener at Stuart Field.