GREENVILLE, S.C. – Defending champion, Francis Marion University is picked atop 2025 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll with runner-up Chowan University coming in second.

The Patriots won their first Conference Carolinas tournament crown a season ago, also winning the Conference Carolinas East Division. Francis Marion earned six first place votes and 183 points, to sit atop the poll. Chowan, the 2023 tournament champion and 2024 runner-up received four first place votes and 180 points to follow Francis Marion.

Southwest Division champion, Young Harris College and northwest division champion Converse University earned the final five first place votes, three going to the Mountain Lions and two to Converse. Young Harris is picked third with 174 points as they are followed by the Valkyries in fifth with 167 points.

Emmanuel University is picked fifth with 124 points, followed closely by Barton College’s 122 points at sixth. Lees-McRae College is seventh with 113 points, only one point ahead of the University of Mount Olive’s 112 points in eighth. Belmont Abbey College’s 94 points lands the Crusaders ninth while North Greenville University rounds out the top 10 with 83 points.

Southern Wesleyan University (69), King University (68), Erskine College (37), Ferrum College (25) and Shorter University (24) rounded out the poll.

The 2025 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Championship is scheduled to start with preliminary rounds on November 5 and 8 before the semifinals and final will be competed at Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park in Browns Summit, North Carolina on November 13 and 15.

The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches and they can’t vote for their own school.

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2025 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll

	School	Total (First Place)
1	Francis Marion	183 (6)
2	Chowan	180 (4)
3	Young Harris	174 (3)
4	Converse	167 (2)
5	Emmanuel	124
6	Barton	122
7	Lees-McRae	113
8	Mount Olive	112
9	Belmont Abbey	94
10	North Greenville	83
11	Southern Wesleyan	69
12	King	68
13	Erskine	37
14	Ferrum	25
15	Shorter	24

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2025 Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer
Players to Watch
Barton

• Yuki Minari, Sr., D/F, Komaki, Japan
• Charlie Mumford, So., M, Basingstoke, England
• Kai Thurston, So., D, Harleston, England

Belmont Abbey

• Trent McConnaughey, Sr., GK, Dublin, Ohio
• Pat Hissim, Jr., D, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Sam Jordan, Sr., F, Stamford, England (2024 All-Conference Carolinas third team)

Chowan

• Robbie Deighan, So., M, Bolton, England (2024 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
• Sam Deacon, Sr., F/M Bradford, England
• Matty Doyle, So., D, Knottingley, England

Converse

• Guilherme Fontes, Sr., F/M, São Paulo, Brazil (2024 All-Conference Carolinas first team, 2024 D2CCA All-Southeast Region second team, 2023 All-Conference Carolinas third team)
• Martin Burgos, Sr., D, Santiago De, Spain (2024 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament)
• Amro Shibeika, So., M, Charlotte, North Carolina

Emmanuel

• Pau Nel-lo Recasens, Sr., D, La Riera De Gaià, Tarragona
• Colin Wedderburn, Sr., D, Conyers, Georgia
• Rezhis Koxhaj, Sr., F, Brussels, Belgium

Erskine

• Austin Wilson, Fr., F, Due West, South Carolina,
• Kenny-All Hakazimana, Jr., Quebec City, Canada
• Sean O’Laughlin, Fr., Holly Springs, North Carolina

Ferrum

• Jonathan Nicacio, Sr., F, Naples, Florida
• Payton Rausch, Sr., F, Fruitland Park, Florida
• Jadon Brooks, Jr., F, Cary, North Carolina

Francis Marion

• Mario Buelga, Sr., M, Gijon, Spain (2024 All-Conference Carolinas first team, 2024 D2CCA All-Region first team, 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-Region second team)
• David Guevara, Sr., D, Guayaquil, Ecuador (2024 All-Conference Carolinas third team, 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-Region third team)
• Antonio Garda, Sr., M, A Coruna, Spain (2024 All-Conference Carolinas third team)

King

• Joe Elliott, Sr., D, Oxford, England
• Jake Moriarty, Sr., D, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
• Ricky Sexton, Sr., F, Mobile, Alabama

Lees-McRae

• Adam Condron, So., D, Dublin, Ireland
• Jonathan Kienle, Jr., GK, Heidenheim, Germany
• Nils Schulze, Jr., M, Frankfurt, Germany (2023 All-Conference Carolinas second team)

Mount Olive

• Kevin Jimenez, So., D, Knightdale, North Carolina
• Immanuel Duran, Jr., M, Georgetown, Cayman Islands
• Alagie Njie, So., M, Redford, Michigan

North Greenville

• Lucas Di Pasquale, Sr., D, Metabief, France
• Ricardo Marques, Sr., GK, Lisboa, Portugal
• Vinicius Silva, Jr., F, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Shorter

• Charles Garcia, Sr., M, Calhoun, Georgia
• Isiah Johnson, So., D, Rome, Georgia
• Joao Beer, So., F, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Southern Wesleyan

• Gabriel Melendez, Sr., M, Midway, Georgia
• Brody Schroeder, Jr., F, Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Emilio Cordero, Fr., F, San Jose, Costa Rica

Young Harris

• Thomas Kleinpenning, Jr., M, Ulft, The Netherlands (2024 & 2023 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
• Leho Le Louarn, Sr., M, Rennes, France, (2024 All-Conference Carolinas second team)
• Filip Zander, So., F, Stockholm, Sweden