BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) men's soccer coaches' poll was released on Wednesday, with the results challenging The W's revamped roster under new head coach Stewart Mena. The Owls were picked last in the nine-team SLIAC men's soccer race.

Coaches from the SLIAC expect the 2026 men's soccer season to be a tight three-way race between Greenville University, Lyon College, and Webster University. Greenville finished at the top of the poll thanks to garnering four first-place votes, totaling 60 points. Head Coach Chris Swift led the Panthers to a 10-5-3 overall record last year and the program's first outright regular season championship since 2010. The team has a solid group of returners in William Collier, Juan Fernandez, Manolo Juarez, and Richard Kerwer. Collier and Fernandez were All-Conference performers last season, while Juarez and Kerwer combined to start 26 games. Freshman Jason Ly and a trio of transfers in Toby Thomas, Joe Buckman, and Luis Martin are new faces to keep an eye on this fall. 

Reigning tournament champion Lyon College was picked 2nd with 57 points and two first-place votes. Head Coach Emanuel Santos brings back eight starters from a team that went 10-7-3 last year and advanced to the national tournament. Matheus Nunes was a First Team All-Conference selection at forward last season after recording 10 goals and 10 assists. Tomas Biasi is one of the league's top defenders, earning First Team honors while Micah Rangel returns at his midfield position. The Scots welcome in newcomers Bruno Nucci, Mateus Rezende, and Remigio Montesdeoca.

Finishing 3rd in the voting was Webster University with 52 points and three first-place votes. The Gorloks finished last year 8-7-1 overall, and head coach Nenad Curic returns five starters, including last year's Player of the Year, Scott Price. The junior forward tallied 8 goals and 7 assists last season and will pair with Elmin Lemes, Alberto Duque Gonzalez, and Moni Nwosu on the attack. The defense will be led by All-Conference defender Niklas Storck and is rounded out with Finn Rohl and Vlad Sennikov. Juan Ferreira earned All-Conference honors at midfield last season. Top newcomers to keep an eye on are Logan Russell, Mauro Bustamante, Ajdin Junuzovic, Tom Walton, and Luis Guapacha.

Spalding University was picked 4th with 37 points. Head Coach Adam Boyer likes the mixture of returners and newcomers on his team this year. The Golden Eagles went 4-9-4 last season and bring back five starters. Forte Bess and Benit Mulume head up the team's strikers while midfielder Jose Huerta remains at the important midfield position. Trey McCoomer and Ethan Welsh will be the anchors on defense. Transfers Dodge Brooks and Saeed Power, as well as freshmen Ryder Roberson, Jacobi Hinkle, Will Anderson, and Semir Siljkovic will play key roles. 

Principia College placed 5th with 36 points. Christian Tresoldi returns to the program as its head coach after previously competing on the pitch as a player. He takes over a team that went 5-8-4 last season and returns four starters. He has brought in plenty of new faces, including a pair of transfers in Pedro Rochhi and Jakob Stumm. Freshmen Alberto Hernandez and Alessio Ripamonti could also see playing time. Among the returners are Edgar Cartagena, Juan Garcia Lopez, Sebastian Castro, and Alejandro Liborio.

Westminster College totaled 35 points, putting them 6th on the poll. The Blue Jays finished 10-5-2 overall last season. No team information provided.

Coming in 7th on the poll was Blackburn College with 22 points. Head Coach Josh Oswad guided the Beavers to a 5-11-1 record last season and brings back seven starters, including top scorers Grant Eugea and Nathan Soto. The duo each tallied 16 points last year, with Eugea scoring a team-high 6 goals. The Beavers also have plenty of leadership returning with three co-captains in Cade Harper, AJ Blanco, and Gavin Norwood. Among the group of 35 newcomers expected to compete are: Luis Parra, Axel Vasquez, Sean Castenda, Victor Juarez, Ty Starko, Chris Hankins, and Jose Alvarado.

Eureka College finished with 17 points, placing them 8th. First-year head coach Colin Nelson steps into a program that went 7-10-3 overall last season. He brings back six starters, including key pieces at each position. Michael DeCarlo was a Second Team All-Conference defender last season while Tristan Martinez earned Third Team honors at his midfield position. Forward Landon Porch tallied 7 goals and 4 assists, finishing second on the team with 18 points. Freshmen Anthony Lopez and Camdyn Yeske and transfer Jakson Baber are expected to be part of the mix.

MUW totaled 8 points for 9th place on the poll. The Owls welcome in first-year head coach Stew Mena, who will be looking to make some changes that pay dividends immediately. Jordan Ware headlines the list of returners for the Owls. The senior forward is hoping for a healthy year and has five career goals for the program. Winger Simon Roth is one of the new faces to the team that should make an impact.

2026 SLIAC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Tomas Biasi, Lyon
Braedon Cairer, Westminster
William Collier, Greenville
Michael DeCarlo, Eureka
Hunter Deeken, Westminster
Alberto Duque Gonzalez, Webster 
Juan Fernandez, Greenville
Juan Ignacio Martins Ferreira, Webster
Tristan Martinez, Eureka
Khamani Matallah, Westminster
Matheus Nunes, Lyon
Scott Price, Webster
Brandon Schaupert, Westminster
Krischan Schulz, Westminster
Vladimir Sennikov, Webster
Nathan Soto, Blackburn
Niklas Storck, Webster