Mountaineers Picked to Win the Sun Belt; Pozos Named Preseason Player of the Year
August 12, 2026 01:01 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team was picked to the win the league in the 2026 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.
Senior Pablo Pozos was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while juniors Isaac Scheer and Nacho Martinez joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team. It is the third straight season the Mountaineers have had preseason player of the year with Marcus Caldeira earning the honor the previous two seasons. The Mountaineers have also had the Player of the Year for two straight seasons with Caldeira winning in 2025 and Sergio Ors Navarro taking home the award in 2024.
The Mountaineers tallied 94 points in the preseason poll, including four first-place votes. Marshall follows in second with 87 points and three first-place votes while defending Sun Belt Tournament champion UCF was slotted third with 81 points and one first-place vote and Kentucky, the defending regular-season champions, were picked fourth with 76 points and two first-place votes.
Georgia Southern was picked fifth (55) followed by South Carolina (41) and Old Dominion (38). James Madison (29, Coastal Carolina (25), and Georgia State (24) rounded out the poll.
Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team a season ago, Pozos played in 21 games and scored 11 goals while dishing out three assists. His 25 points on the year was top 25 in the nation.
Martinez returns to the Mountaineers after being named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team in 2025. He started all 21 games and led West Virginia with 1,724 minutes played, dishing out one assist while contributing to eight shutouts as a defensive midfielder.
Scheer played in every game last season with 17 starts, scoring three goals and leading the team with seven assists. In two years with the Mountaineers, he has six goals and 12 assists.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Pablo Pozos, West Virginia (4th Yr., F, Madrid, Spain)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Takahiro Fujita, UCF (4th Yr., D, Kawai, Japan)
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year:
Matisse Hébert, UCF (3rd Yr., GK, Quebec, Canada)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Pablo Pozos, West Virginia (4th Yr., F, Madrid, Spain)
F – Carl Romberg, Marshall (4th Yr., F, Werl, Germany)
F – Lewis Rourke, Old Dominion (4th Yr., F, Nottingham, England)
M – Agustin Lopez, Kentucky (3rd Yr., M, Santa Fe, Argentina)
M – Nacho Martinez, West Virginia (3rd Yr., M, Posadas, Argentina)
M – Isaac Scheer, West Virginia (3rd Yr., M, Charlotte, N.C.)
D – Takahiro Fujita, UCF (4th Yr., D, Kawai, Japan)
D - Jem Hewlett, UCF (2nd Yr., D, Bristol, England)
D – Max Miller, Kentucky (5th Yr., D, Lexington, Ky.)
D – Sinan Solmaz, Kentucky (4th Yr., D, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)
GK – Matisse Hébert, UCF (3rd Yr., GK, Quebec, Canada)
2026 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. West Virginia (4) - 94
2. Marshall (3) - 87
3. UCF (1) - 81
4. Kentucky (2) - 76
5. Georgia Southern - 55
6. South Carolina - 41
7. Old Dominion - 38
8. James Madison - 29
9. Coastal Carolina - 25
10. Georgia State - 24
(Parentheses indicate first-place votes)
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Senior Pablo Pozos was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while juniors Isaac Scheer and Nacho Martinez joined him on the Preseason All-Conference Team. It is the third straight season the Mountaineers have had preseason player of the year with Marcus Caldeira earning the honor the previous two seasons. The Mountaineers have also had the Player of the Year for two straight seasons with Caldeira winning in 2025 and Sergio Ors Navarro taking home the award in 2024.
The Mountaineers tallied 94 points in the preseason poll, including four first-place votes. Marshall follows in second with 87 points and three first-place votes while defending Sun Belt Tournament champion UCF was slotted third with 81 points and one first-place vote and Kentucky, the defending regular-season champions, were picked fourth with 76 points and two first-place votes.
Georgia Southern was picked fifth (55) followed by South Carolina (41) and Old Dominion (38). James Madison (29, Coastal Carolina (25), and Georgia State (24) rounded out the poll.
Named to the All-Sun Belt First Team a season ago, Pozos played in 21 games and scored 11 goals while dishing out three assists. His 25 points on the year was top 25 in the nation.
Martinez returns to the Mountaineers after being named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team in 2025. He started all 21 games and led West Virginia with 1,724 minutes played, dishing out one assist while contributing to eight shutouts as a defensive midfielder.
Scheer played in every game last season with 17 starts, scoring three goals and leading the team with seven assists. In two years with the Mountaineers, he has six goals and 12 assists.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Pablo Pozos, West Virginia (4th Yr., F, Madrid, Spain)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Takahiro Fujita, UCF (4th Yr., D, Kawai, Japan)
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year:
Matisse Hébert, UCF (3rd Yr., GK, Quebec, Canada)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Pablo Pozos, West Virginia (4th Yr., F, Madrid, Spain)
F – Carl Romberg, Marshall (4th Yr., F, Werl, Germany)
F – Lewis Rourke, Old Dominion (4th Yr., F, Nottingham, England)
M – Agustin Lopez, Kentucky (3rd Yr., M, Santa Fe, Argentina)
M – Nacho Martinez, West Virginia (3rd Yr., M, Posadas, Argentina)
M – Isaac Scheer, West Virginia (3rd Yr., M, Charlotte, N.C.)
D – Takahiro Fujita, UCF (4th Yr., D, Kawai, Japan)
D - Jem Hewlett, UCF (2nd Yr., D, Bristol, England)
D – Max Miller, Kentucky (5th Yr., D, Lexington, Ky.)
D – Sinan Solmaz, Kentucky (4th Yr., D, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)
GK – Matisse Hébert, UCF (3rd Yr., GK, Quebec, Canada)
2026 Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. West Virginia (4) - 94
2. Marshall (3) - 87
3. UCF (1) - 81
4. Kentucky (2) - 76
5. Georgia Southern - 55
6. South Carolina - 41
7. Old Dominion - 38
8. James Madison - 29
9. Coastal Carolina - 25
10. Georgia State - 24
(Parentheses indicate first-place votes)
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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