Washington Tabbed as Big Ten Men’s Soccer Preseason Favorite
Big Ten unveils 2026 preseason poll and Players to Watch
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Washington Huskies have been selected as the favorite to win the 2026 Big Ten Conference crown, according to a vote of the league’s head coaches released on Tuesday.
The reigning NCAA champions and the No. 1 ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, Washington claimed seven first place votes and two second place nods to take the top spot.
Maryland finished second, just ahead of Indiana, while 2025 Big Ten Tournament champion, UCLA, and tournament runner-up, Michigan, placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
The conference also unveiled the 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch List on Tuesday, as selected by the league’s coaches. Included in the list are nine student-athletes who earned All-Big Ten recognition in 2025. Among them are six First Team honorees, including Goalkeeper of the Year Laurin Mack from Maryland, and Freshman of the Year Peter Soudan from Michigan State.
The 2026 Big Ten Men’s Soccer season kicks off on Thursday, with all 11 teams in action.
The complete 2026 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll and Players to Watch List can be found below.
2026 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
- Washington
- Maryland
- Indiana
- UCLA
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
- Northwestern
- Wisconsin
- Michigan State
- Penn State
2026 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Players to Watch
Josh Maher, Jr., D, Indiana
Stephane Njike, Jr., F, Indiana
Collins Oduro, Sr., F, Indiana
Leon Koehl, Sr., M, Maryland
Laurin Mack, Jr., GK, Maryland
Albi Ndrenika, Grad., M, Maryland
Will Baker, Sr., D, Michigan
Grayson Elmquist, Sr., F, Michigan
Nico Pendleton, Grad., M, Michigan
Miles Merritt, Sr., M, Michigan State
Brandon Munson, Jr., D, Michigan State
Peter Soudan, Soph., M, Michigan State
Andrew Millar, Grad., M, Northwestern
Aaron O'Reilly, So., F, Northwestern
Fritz Volmar, Sr., D, Northwestern
Isaiah Chisolm, Sr., F, Ohio State
Andre Roberts, Sr., M, Ohio State
Martin Wurschmidt, Jr., D, Ohio State
Joe Buckley, So., D, Penn State
Noah Förster, Jr., D, Penn State
Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, Fr., GK, Penn State
Nick Collins, Sr., D, Rutgers
Amer Lukovic, Grad., M, Rutgers
Rafa Ponce de Leon, Grad., GK, Rutgers
Philip Naef, Sr., M, UCLA
Oliver Roche, Sr., F, UCLA
Tre Wright, Sr., D, UCLA
Harrison Bertos, Sr., D, Washington
Alex Hall, Jr., M, Washington
Zach Ramsey, Jr., M, Washington
Ellis Jones, Sr., D, Wisconsin
Luke van Heukelum, Sr., F, Wisconsin
Matthew Zachemski, Jr., M, Wisconsin