COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The defending RMAC regular season and tournament champion University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team was unanimously selected as the conference's preseason favorite in the 2026 RMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving each of the 10 possible first-place votes for a total of 100 points. Senior goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg represented the Mountain Lions on the Preseason All-RMAC Team as the conference's top returning netminder for the 2026 campaign.
 
Regis University finished directly behind the Mountain Lions in the coaches' voting at No. 2 in the poll, totaling 85 points and receiving the only first-place vote not awarded to UCCS. Fort Lewis College followed at No. 3 with 75 points, while Metropolitan State University Denver collected 71 points to earn the No. 4 spot. Colorado State University Pueblo (63 points) and Westminster University (61 points) rounded out the projected playoff positions at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, while Colorado Mesa University (57 points), Colorado School of Mines (31 points), South Dakota Mines (30 points), Colorado Christian University (23 points), and Adams State University (9 points) rounded out the preseason poll in positions seven through 11.
 
The RMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll is voted on by the league's 11 head men's soccer coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for their own team. 
 
The Mountain Lions, who recently earned the No. 18 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches National Preseason Poll, are coming off a historic 2025 campaign that saw the program capture its first RMAC regular season and tournament championships while earning a berth in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament for the third consecutive year. UCCS continued to make history during its NCAA Tournament run, knocking off seventh-seeded California State University Los Angeles and second-seeded California State University Dominguez Hills to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history.
 
A member of the 2025 All-RMAC Second Team as a goalkeeper, Sjöberg was the Mountain Lions' lone representative on the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Team. The senior netminder started each of the Mountain Lions' 23 games and played every minute in goal for UCCS last season, establishing a program record with 2,090 minutes played while recording five clean sheets, 66 saves, and a 1.33 GAA. His five shutouts ranked third among RMAC goalkeepers last season and are tied for seventh on the Mountain Lions' single season record list, while he also finished the campaign ranked second in total saves and fifth in GAA.  
 
The Mountain Lions will kick off the 2026 campaign with a pair of matches in Texas, beginning with a neutral-site contest against Sul Ross State University on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. (MT) before visiting St. Mary's University on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. (MT). UCCS returns to Colorado Springs the following week for its home opener, welcoming nationally No. 1 nationally ranked Midwestern State University to Mountain Lion Stadium on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. Following their eight-match non-conference slate, the Mountain Lions will begin RMAC play on the road against Colorado Mesa University on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
 
2026 RMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll    

Institution (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. UCCS (10)	100
2. Regis (1)	85
3. Fort Lewis	75
4. MSU Denver	71
5. CSU Pueblo	63
6. Westminster	61
7. Colorado Mesa	57
8. Colorado School of Mines	31
9. South Dakota Mines	30
10. Colorado Christian	23
11. Adams State	9

10 points for a 1st-place vote, 9 for 2nd, etc.
100 points maximum in men's soccer.
 
2026 RMAC Men's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team

Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
F	Nickolas North (2)	South Dakota Mines	Jr.	Sioux Falls, S.D.
F	Tiago Gomes	Colorado Christian	Sr.	Viana do Castello, Portugal
F	Alvin Udoto	South Dakota Mines	Sr.	Nairobi, Kenya
MF	Nick Cenek (1)	CSU Pueblo	Gr.	Peoria, Ill.
MF	Matty Parkes (1)	CSU Pueblo	Jr.	Newcastle, England
MF	Jacobo Betancourt-Tovar (2)	Regis	Sr.	Frisco, Texas
MF	Sahar Golov (2)	Regis	Sr.	Ramat Hasharon, Israel
D	Jose Peris Gimeno (2)	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Burriana, Castellon, Spain
D	Pedro Martinez Castro (2)	CSU Pueblo	So.	Langreo, Spain
D	Rider Grow	South Dakota Mines	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
D	George Jones	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Braunton, United Kingdom
GK	Hugo Sjöberg	UCCS	Sr.	Kiel, Germany

Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; all
others were honorable mention selections.
 
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