Alma College

The 1997 men's soccer team, coached by Scott Frey, finished with an overall record of 15-4-1 and 11-1 in the MIAA, making them league champions for the first time school history. The team finished the season with a final national ranking in the top 25 and the squad achieved the best winning percentage in school history (.775). In addition, the 11 MIAA wins were the most in school history (tied with the 1999 team).

The Scots advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing to the second round before seeing their season come to a close. Alma defeated Otterbein 2-1 and then lost to Ohio Wesleyan 1-0 in the Regional Finals.

The team had several stalwarts to lead the way, including Jeff Bateson '98, who was named as the MIAA's Most Valuable Player and earned NSCAA All-American Third Team honors. Other players that earned All-MIAA honors included Chris Alexander, Tom Jewett, Matt Keller, Jason Passalacqua and Todd Ruiter.

Team captains for the 1997 season were Bateson and Jewett.