KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fresh off one of the most successful seasons in program history, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team is set to enter the 2026 campaign ranked No. 18 in the 2026 United Soccer Coaches National Preseason Poll, as announced by the organization on Tuesday afternoon.
Defending national champion Midwestern State University claimed the top spot in the preseason poll, headlining a group of six teams from Super Region 4 that were ranked inside the top 25. Joining the Mustangs in the poll from the super region were California State University Stanislaus (No. 5), Point Loma Nazarene University (No. 7), UCCS (No. 18), California State University Dominguez Hills (No. 20), and Seattle Pacific University (No. 25). The Mountain Lions were the lone institution from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) to receive recognition in the national preseason rankings.
UCCS' preseason ranking comes on the heels of a historic 2025 campaign in which they finished 12-6-5, captured the program's first RMAC regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament for the third consecutive year. As the No. 10 seed in the bracket, the Mountain Lions defeated No. 7 seed California State University Los Angeles and No. 2 seed California State University Dominguez Hills for the first two national tournament victories in program history, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time.
Sixth-year head coach
Lewis Wilcox returns 16 players from last season's historic squad while welcoming a talented class of 16 newcomers, including 10 freshmen and six transfers. The returning group is highlighted by a pair of impact performers from a season ago, including All-RMAC Second Team goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg and forward
Jack Cook, who brought home RMAC Tournament MVP honors after scoring twice in the conference championship match.
The Mountain Lions open the 2026 campaign in the Lone Star State with a neutral-site matchup against Sul Ross State University on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 12 p.m. (MT) and a road contest at St. Mary's University on Saturday, August 29 at 5 p.m. (MT). UCCS then makes its home debut the following week against No. 1 nationally ranked Midwestern State on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. inside Mountain Lion Stadium. At the conclusion of their eight-game non-conference schedule, the Mountain Lions will open RMAC action at Colorado Mesa University on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
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