Rock Hill, S.C.----The South Atlantic Conference announced the preseason men's soccer coaches poll Tuesday morning, with the Wingate University Bulldogs checking in at fifth in the poll, voted on by the league's head coaches. In addition, three Bulldogs have earned preseason accolades.
Bailey Rhodes is a preseason first team All-SAC honoree, while
Camilo Salazar and
Hipo Delhaes have been named SAC Players to Watch.
Anderson is the preseason favorite, collecting six first-place votes, followed by Emory & Henry, who had two first-place votes. LMU is third, also notching a first-place vote, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate and Catawba. The Bulldogs hauled in the final first-place vote. Coker is seventh, with Mars Hill, Carson-Newman, Tusculum and Newberry rounding out the poll.
Rhodes was a third team All-SAC defender for the Bulldogs in 2025, while Salazar also earned third team accolades last season at the midfield position. Delhaes is a newcomer for the 'Dogs this season.
Polk, Ensalaco, Halldorsdottir and Maino earned league honors in 2025. Polk was a second team All-SAC forward, while Maino was a third team forward. Ensalaco and Halldosdottir were named third team midfielders in 2025.
The Bulldogs open up the season this weekend, hosting Lander Saturday at 7 p.m. at Pride Park.
Men's Soccer Preseason SAC Poll
| Rnk |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Anderson (6) |
88 |
| 2 |
Emory & Henry (2) |
86 |
| 3 |
Lincoln Memorial (1) |
78 |
| 4 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
72 |
| 5 |
Wingate (1) |
57 |
| 5 |
Catawba |
57 |
| 7 |
Coker |
55 |
| 8 |
Mars Hill |
37 |
| 9 |
Carson-Newman |
34 |
| 10 |
Tusculum |
23 |
| 11 |
Newberry |
18 |
Preseason All-SAC
F – Christian Johnson, Coker
F – Adrian Castillo, Anderson
F – Julian Caro, Anderson
F – Alexis Abalam, Coker
MF – Juan Pablo Lepervanche, Anderson
MF – Titouan Itier, Emory & Henry
MF – Mitchell Honcoop, Carson-Newman
MF – Raul Canas, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Marcos Baez Juarez, Emory & Henry
D – Bailey Rhodes, Wingate
D – Maxime Wester, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Marcelo Lopes, Emory & Henry
GK – Daniel Benedek Miklosi, Lincoln Memorial
Players to Watch
Anderson
Jonas Zethofer
Charles Bolduc
Carson-Newman
Antoine Torrent
Omotayo Omolokun
Catawba
Alex Payton
Juan Camilo
Luis Rodrigues
Coker
Mouhamadou Savane
Emory & Henry
Jean-Charles Eyidi
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hector Taboada
Xairo Villalon
Lincoln Memorial
Enrique Martin
Vicente Charlin
Mars Hill
Charlie Drury
Kai Stolp
Adrian Faus
Newberry
Seraphin Guetan
Benu Yasin-Cetin
George Rathmill
Tusculum
Luka Slankamenac
Juan Diego Corral
Patrick Enchill
Wingate
Camilo Salazar
Hipo Delhaes
