NEW HAVEN, Conn. (August 10, 2026) - Georgian Court Men's Soccer will enter 2026 one spot ahead of where they finished in 2025. In the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Preseason Coaches Poll, Georgian Court was picked to finish in seventh place in the conference, after a 4-6 showing and eighth place league finish a year ago.

The Lions posted a mark of 5-9-3 last year overall and went 4-6 to earn a spot in the CACC Tournament. GCU was the only team in the CACC not to finish with a tie in conference action. The Lions put up a strong fight against top-seeded Post, but fell 1-0 on the road with the lone goal coming on a penalty kick in the CACC Tournament Quarterfinals.

Those same Eagles that won the league regular season were picked to finish first once again in this year's poll with 94 points. They received the most first-place votes as well with five of the 11. Bridgeport, who won the league's postseason tournament, is behind the Eagles with 91 points and four first-place votes. Wilmington, picked third, and Jefferson, picked fifth also earned one first-place vote. Felician, picked fourth, makes up the rest of the top-five.

Georgian Court earned 46 points and are one-point behind Holy Family who sits sixth in the poll with 47 points. 

The Lions will lean on the offensive prowess of prolific goal-scorer, Gijs van Eif. Van Eif was a First Team All-Conference selection despite playing in just 10 games, four CACC games, and missing the final seven games of the season. He scored nine goals and 19 points in those 10 games and has 27 in his career. 

GCU also brings back their top assist-man from 2025 in Jack Pollintine-Smith. He too missed time in 2025, playing in just nine games, but made an impact when he was on the field with two goals and a team-high four assists. In their limited action in 2025, van Eif averaged more than two points per 90 minutes, while Pollintine-Smith wasn't far behind scoring 1.86 points per 90 minutes played. 

Other multi-point scorers GCU brings back for 2026 include Noa Aasheim, Anthony Ryan, Henry Calix, Leo Elder, Sander Rynning and Tim Wilk. This year will also see some new faces in net. The only goalkeeper on the roster to have appeared in a game for the Lions is sophomore Simon Mortensen. He started a pair of games last season making four saves with an 0-1-1 record.

This year's schedule sees the Lions playing 18 regular season games in four different US States: New Jersey, New York, Massachusettes and Pennsylvania. The season starts on the road at Bentley Thursday, August 27. Opening weekend also sees the Lions taking on Saint Michael's Saturday, August 29. Georgian Court's first home game takes place Thursday, September 3 against Staten Island. It's the first of eight home contests for the Lions. 

The first CACC contest will come against their final opponent from 2025. Georgian Court welcomes Post to Lakewood Saturday, September 19 to kick off conference play. Georgian Court's home conference slate includes each of the top-four teams ranked in the CACC Preseason Poll. In addition to Post, they'll see Bridgeport, Wilmington and Felician all at home. Georgian Court finishes the regular season on the road in three of their final four games, but the season finale comes at home, Tuesday, Oct. 27 against Goldey-Beacom. 

2026 CACC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Post (5) - 94 points
2. Bridgeport (4) - 91 
3. Wilmington (1) - 81 
4. Felician - 70
5. Jefferson (1) - 62
6. Holy Family - 47
7. Georgian Court - 46
T8. Caldwell - 40
T8. Dominican - 40
10. Chestnut Hill - 19
11. Goldey-Beacom - 15