Tampa Men's Soccer Picked No. 4 in SSC Preseason Poll

ORLANDO, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference men's soccer coaches tab defending national champion Lynn as the preseason favorite in 2025, as the University of Tampa is slotted at No. 4. With 100 points and 10 first-place votes in the poll, the Fighting Knights receive the most points possible, as they are expected to win the program's 12th regular-season title.

The Spartans are coming off a 9-6-2 season in 2024, and completed Sunshine State Conference action with a 5-4-1 mark. Head coach Adrian Bush took his team to the SSC semifinals in the 2024 tournament, falling to eventual national champion Lynn in double overtime by a score of 1-0. The Spartans welcome back five starters from last season, including starting goalkeeper Alex Hare (17 GP, 67 saves, .753 save percentage), top scorers Rodrigo Lopes (5 G, 4 A) and Viggo Sveddin (4 G, 4 A), and all-region defender Luca Bergmann.

Florida Tech finishes in second place with 84 points and eight second-place votes. Rollins pulls 74 points to sit alone in third place. Tampa garners 70 points to anchor the fourth spot, while Nova Southeastern earns 65 points and the final first-place vote to finish fifth. Barry sits in the middle of the poll (63 points) and is followed by Palm Beach Atlantic (55 points) and Saint Leo (29 points). Florida Southern (28 points), Eckerd (19 points), and Embry-Riddle (18 points) occupy the final three positions in the poll.

2025 SSC MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE | SSC MEN'S SOCCER RECORDS

Last season, Lynn won the program's 11th SSC regular-season title after finishing the season with 26 points in conference play. The Fighting Knights bested the Tars in the SSC Tournament final to earn the program's league-leading seventh postseason trophy and first since 2019.

Only Lynn earned a berth in the 2024 NCAA Division II Postseason Tournament. They were given the #2 seed despite entering the tournament with an undefeated record.  The Fighting Knights relinquished just one goal in the first three rounds of the tournament, as they defeated West Florida and Coker 1-0, then beat Clayton St. 2-1 in the regional final. In the Final Four, the second-ranked Fighting Knights defeated McKendree 3-1. They then beat Charleston (WV) 3-2 in the national championship game to win the program's fourth national title.

Since 2010, 12 men's soccer teams have reached the national quarterfinals, and 11 have advanced to the national semifinals. Seven teams have advanced to the national title game, with four walking away with a championship trophy. Lynn (4), Tampa (3), Florida Tech (2), and Barry (1) boast all 10 of the SSC's men's soccer national championships.

Last season, the league boasted six All-American honors. Additionally, United Soccer Coaches named Lynn's Henry Haferkorn National Player of the Year. Haferkorn (1st) and teammates Luca Clavero (2nd) and Luis Kiefer (3rd), along with Rollins' Jorge Lameiras (2nd), took home United Soccer Coaches accolades. Haferkorn (1st) also earned a D2CCA nod along with Clavero (2nd).

Six teams open up the SSC non-conference season with matches on Thursday, September 4th. The conference schedule kicks off with four games on Saturday, September 20th. Lynn (No. 1) represents the SSC in the 2025 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II preseason men's poll. The ranking was announced on Thursday, July 31st.

Below are the full results of the 2025 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2025 SSC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL

See Also:SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions | 2024 Standings

Previous SSC Men's Soccer Polls