The USA South Athletic Conference's men's soccer coaches have released their 2026 preseason poll. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.
N.C. Wesleyan was placed atop the rankings thanks to receiving 47 total points and five of the possible eight first place votes. The Battling Bishops are the defending League tournament champions after sweeping through the event as the second-seeded team. Last fall's USA South regular season champions, Pfeiffer, placed second in the poll with 45 points and the final three first place nods. Last season's tournament surprise making a run to the finals as the fifth-seed, Methodist, rounded out the top-three of the poll with 33 points.
The 2026 USA South Men's Soccer Tournament will once again be conducted exclusively on campus sites. The top-six seeded teams will advance to the tournament which will begin with first round action on Saturday, October 31. The semifinals will take place Wednesday, November 4 with the finals occurring on Saturday, November 7. The higher-seeded team in each contest will serve as the host. In last season's tournament final, second-seeded N.C. Wesleyan defeated fifth-seeded Methodist, 3-2 in overtime.
| 2026 USA South Coaches Preseason Men's Soccer Poll |
| Rank |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
N.C. Wesleyan^ (5) |
47 |
| 2. |
Pfeiffer* (3) |
45 |
| 3. |
Methodist |
33 |
| 4. |
William Peace |
31 |
| 5. |
Greensboro |
24 |
| 6. |
Southern Virginia |
19 |
| 7. |
Brevard |
18 |
| 8. |
Mary Baldwin |
7 |
*Defending Regular Season Champion
^Defending Tournament Champion |
All-Time Men's Soccer Conference Records
(records as of the 1974 season - listed by wins of current Conference members) |
| Team |
Seasons |
Record |
Pct. |
Conference Championships
(Reg. Season / Tournament) |
| N.C. Wesleyan |
52 |
215-121-26 |
.630 |
11 / 5 |
| Greensboro |
50 |
196-125-29 |
.598 |
10 / 10 |
| Methodist |
52 |
182-139-39 |
.560 |
10 / 2 |
| William Peace |
12 |
44-50-13 |
.472 |
1 / 1 |
| Brevard |
8 |
30-25-9 |
.539 |
0 / 3 |
| Pfeiffer |
8 |
23-35-8 |
.409 |
1 / 0 |
| Southern Virginia |
5 |
12-19-4 |
.400 |
0 / 0 |
| Mary Baldwin |
7 |
10-41-3 |
.213 |
0 / 0 |