Caldeira Named Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as Mountaineers are Picked Second
August 13, 2025 01:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Aug. 13, 2025) – The West Virginia University men's soccer team was tabbed to finish second in the 2025 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Senior Marcus Caldeira was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while graduate student Carlos Hernando and sophomore Isaac Scheer joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Mountaineers tallied 92 points, including two first-place votes in the coaches poll. Marshall, the 2024 national runner-up, was picked to win the conference with 97 points and eight first-place votes. UCF was slotted in third behind WVU with 74 points while Kentucky (67) and South Carolina (65) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
James Madison was voted sixth (48), ahead of seventh-place Old Dominion (36) while Georgia Southern (30), Georgia State (24), and Coastal Carolina (17) rounded out the poll.
Caldeira is the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2024, he finished the season with 11 goals and 23 points en route to being named to the All-Sun Belt second team and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region second team. In his career, he has 28 goals, ninth most in WVU history.
Hernando returns for his third season as an anchor for a strong WVU back line that allowed just 1.05 goals per game last season and recorded 10 shutouts. He totaled 1,548 minutes played, scoring two goals and tallying one assist. Both his goals came in the Sun Belt Championship as he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Scheer is back for his second season after a strong freshman campaign. He played in all 22 games with 13 starts, logging 1,255 minutes. He scored three goals and had five assists, second most on the team.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Sr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Takahiro Fujita, Marshall (Jr., Nara, Japan)
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year:
Sebastian Conlon, Kentucky (Sr., Reston, Va.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Ethan Ballek, South Carolina (Sr., Timnath, Colo.)
F – Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Sr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
F – Ryan Holmes, Georgia Southern (Jr., Milton Keys, England)
M – Agustin Lopez, Kentucky (So., Santa Fe, Argentina)
M – Isaac Scheer, West Virginia (So., Charlotte, N.C.)
M – Alexander Stjernegaard, South Carolina (Sr., Rungsted Kyst, Denmark)
M – Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, South Carolina (So., Knoxville, Tenn.)
D – Takahiro Fujita, Marshall (Jr., Nara, Japan)
D – Carlos Hernando, West Virginia (Grad., Madrid, Spain)
D – Josh Gordon, Kentucky (Jr., Scarborough, Ontario)
GK – Sebastian Conlon, Kentucky (Sr., Reston, Va.)
*Ties were not broken.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Marshall (8) – 97
2. West Virginia (2) – 92
3. UCF - 74
4. Kentucky - 67
5. South Carolina - 65
6. James Madison - 48
7. Old Dominion - 36
8. Georgia Southern - 30
9. Georgia State - 24
10. Coastal Carolina - 17
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Senior Marcus Caldeira was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while graduate student Carlos Hernando and sophomore Isaac Scheer joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Mountaineers tallied 92 points, including two first-place votes in the coaches poll. Marshall, the 2024 national runner-up, was picked to win the conference with 97 points and eight first-place votes. UCF was slotted in third behind WVU with 74 points while Kentucky (67) and South Carolina (65) were fourth and fifth, respectively.
James Madison was voted sixth (48), ahead of seventh-place Old Dominion (36) while Georgia Southern (30), Georgia State (24), and Coastal Carolina (17) rounded out the poll.
Caldeira is the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. In 2024, he finished the season with 11 goals and 23 points en route to being named to the All-Sun Belt second team and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region second team. In his career, he has 28 goals, ninth most in WVU history.
Hernando returns for his third season as an anchor for a strong WVU back line that allowed just 1.05 goals per game last season and recorded 10 shutouts. He totaled 1,548 minutes played, scoring two goals and tallying one assist. Both his goals came in the Sun Belt Championship as he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Scheer is back for his second season after a strong freshman campaign. He played in all 22 games with 13 starts, logging 1,255 minutes. He scored three goals and had five assists, second most on the team.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Sr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Takahiro Fujita, Marshall (Jr., Nara, Japan)
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year:
Sebastian Conlon, Kentucky (Sr., Reston, Va.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Ethan Ballek, South Carolina (Sr., Timnath, Colo.)
F – Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia (Sr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
F – Ryan Holmes, Georgia Southern (Jr., Milton Keys, England)
M – Agustin Lopez, Kentucky (So., Santa Fe, Argentina)
M – Isaac Scheer, West Virginia (So., Charlotte, N.C.)
M – Alexander Stjernegaard, South Carolina (Sr., Rungsted Kyst, Denmark)
M – Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez, South Carolina (So., Knoxville, Tenn.)
D – Takahiro Fujita, Marshall (Jr., Nara, Japan)
D – Carlos Hernando, West Virginia (Grad., Madrid, Spain)
D – Josh Gordon, Kentucky (Jr., Scarborough, Ontario)
GK – Sebastian Conlon, Kentucky (Sr., Reston, Va.)
*Ties were not broken.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Marshall (8) – 97
2. West Virginia (2) – 92
3. UCF - 74
4. Kentucky - 67
5. South Carolina - 65
6. James Madison - 48
7. Old Dominion - 36
8. Georgia Southern - 30
9. Georgia State - 24
10. Coastal Carolina - 17
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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