SoCon Announces Preseason Coaches' Poll and Preseason All-Conference Team

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team was selected to finish second in The 2026 Southern Conference (SoCon) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as voted on by the league's seven coaches and announced by the conference on Monday.
 
UNCG secured two first-place votes and 31 points for the second spot on the preseason poll. Furman was selected to finish atop the SoCon with four first-place votes and 34 total points. New SoCon member Liberty, who joined as an affiliate member in men's soccer secured the final vote for first place and 24 total points to be picked third. Mercer, Wofford, ETSU and VMI, respectively rounded out the remainder of the SoCon Preseason Poll.
 
The Spartans are ranked No. 14 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, No. 11 in TopDrawerSoccer and No. 18 in College Soccer News.
 
UNCG is set to return 11 from a 2025 squad that posted a 12-5-6 overall record and a 3-2 SoCon mark. The 2025 Spartans earned their 20^th ticket to the NCAA Tournament, after facing the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation. The squad carried a top 25 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll from week one to the end of the season. UNCG faced three top 25 programs during the regular season, earning a victory against No. 5 High Point, tying No. 9 Virginia and No. 3 NC State. The victory against High Point was the highest ranked win since No. 2 Clemson in 2021.
 
In addition to the second-place selection on the SoCon Preseason Poll, Steven Hernandez, Mohammed Sumaila and Seth Wilson were all named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
Hernandez and Wilson were both selected to the 2025 All-SoCon Second Team. Hernandez returns after notching five goals and five assists for 15 points last year. Wilson returns in net for the Spartans after notching 59 total saves and starting in all 23 games last season. Sumaila was a key defender for the squad last season, appearing in 22 games and collecting 1,770 minutes. Sumaila also tacked on one assist in last year's season opener against Radford.

The Spartans will begin the 2026 campaign with a three-game homestand starting with VCU on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the UNCG Soccer Stadium. All regular season home games are free admission.

2026 SoCon Preseason Men's Soccer Poll
First place votes in parentheses
1. Furman, 34 (4)
2. UNC Greensboro, 31 (2)
3. Liberty, 24 (1)
4. Mercer, 23
5. Wofford, 15
6. ETSU, 13
7. VMI, 7
 
2026 SoCon Preseason Men's Soccer All-Conference Team
F – Wilfer Bustamante, Jr., Furman
F – Steven Hernandez, R-Sr., UNC Greensboro
F – Declan Mettee, Sr., Wofford
M – Diego Hernandez, Sr., Furman
M – Luke Hutzell, Jr., Furman
M – Max Talley, Sr., Wofford
D – Braden Dunham, So., Furman
D – Eli Bannister, So., Mercer
D – Mohammed Sumaila, Jr., UNC Greensboro
D – Ryan Wagner, Jr., Furman
G – Seth Wilson, R-Sr., UNC Greensboro
G – Ivan Horvat, R-So., Furman