BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn University at Montgomery men's soccer has been tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Gulf South Conference preseason poll, while five Warhawks earned preseason recognition, the conference announced Thursday.
AUM received 94 points and four first-place votes to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. Mississippi Christian followed with 90 points and six first-place votes, while Christian Brothers finished third with 77 points and one first-place vote.
The Warhawks are coming off a 10-5-3 season in 2025, including a 6-3-2 record in GSC play. AUM entered the GSC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and advanced to the semifinals after defeating sixth-seeded Montevallo 1-0 in overtime in the quarterfinals on a golden goal. The Warhawks' season came to an end against No. 2 seed West Florida despite AUM scoring three goals in the semifinal.
AUM placed two returners on the 2026 GSC Men's Soccer Preseason Team, with senior defender Alan De Paula and junior forward Benjamin Hoffmann earning the distinction. Three newcomerswere named to the conference's Newcomers to Watch List: junior defender Luke Butcher, junior forward Nathan Le Roux, and freshman midfielder Malik Mawd.
BENJAMIN HOFFMANN | GSC PRESEASON TEAM
Hoffmann returns for his junior season after establishing himself as one of the conference's top offensive threats in 2025. The forward recorded nine goals and three assists for 21 points last season, ranking eighth in the GSC in goals scored.
The forward was named First Team All-GSC and earned D2 CCA Second Team All-South Region honors following his standout campaign. Hoffmann enters 2026 as one of the conference's top returning scorers and was selected to the 2026 GSC Men's Soccer Preseason Team.
ALAN DE PAULA | GSC PRESEASON TEAM
De Paula returns to anchor the Warhawks after a standout 2025 campaign. The defender appeared in all 18 games, making 17 starts and logging more than 1,400 minutes on the pitch. He contributed six goals on nine shots on goal for 12 points.
De Paula earned Second Team All-GSC and D2 CCA Second Team All-South Region honors following the season. He was also named GSC Defensive Player of the Week and was a GSC Honor Roll recipient during the Fall 2025 semester.
The AUM standout enters the 2026 season as one of the conference's top returning defenders and was selected to the 2026 GSC Men's Soccer Preseason Team.
LUKE BUTCHER | NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Butcher joins the Warhawks after two standout seasons at Neosho County Community College. The 6-foot-3 center back was a two-time KJCCC First Team All-Conference selection and earned NJCAA All-American honors during his time with the Panthers.
Butcher helped Neosho County compile a 50-4-8 record over his two seasons, capturing back-to-back conference championships in 2024 and 2025. The Panthers also won the Region 6 and district championships in 2024 and finished as the NJCAA national runner-up that season.
Individually, Butcher was named KJCCC Men's Defensive Player of the Year and Men's Outstanding Athlete of the Year. He totaled nine goals and four assists during his two seasons at Neosho County.
NATHAN LE ROUX | NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Le Roux joins AUM after a productive season at Illinois Central College in 2025-26. The junior left winger recorded 14 goals and four assists and helped the team win Region 24.
Le Roux also earned Third Team All-American recognition and was named to the Region 24 team following his first collegiate season.
MALIK MAWD | NEWCOMER TO WATCH
Mawd joins the Warhawks as a freshman midfielder after graduating from Flatow-Oberschule in Berlin, Germany, in 2026. The offensive midfielder will begin his collegiate career at AUM while pursuing a degree in general business.
The three newcomers give AUM additional depth and international experience as the Warhawks prepare for the 2026 season.
2026 GSC Men's Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
1. AUM (4), 94 points
2. Mississippi Christian (6), 90 points
3. Christian Brothers (1), 77 points
4. UAH, 68 points
5. Montevallo, 59 points
6. West Alabama, 58 points
7. Lee, 51 points
8. Trevecca Nazarene, 42 points
9. Union, 31 points
10. Delta State, 21 points
11. Spring Hill, 14 points
First-place votes in parentheses
2026 GSC Men's Soccer Preseason Team
Sonny Wright, Jr., GK, UAH
Oil Orzechowski, Sr., F, UAH^
Alan De Paula, Sr., D, AUM^
Benjamin Hoffmann, Jr., F, AUM*
Olivier van der Tuin, Gr., F, Christian Brothers
Daiki Ebihara, Jr., M, Christian Brothers
Luke Nolan, So., M, Mississippi Christian
Alvaro Pena, Jr., D, Mississippi Christian^
Gage Sorey, Sr., D, Mississippi Christian*
Alexander Mueller, So., M, Montevallo
Dakota Hart, Sr., M, Montevallo
Oisin Griffin, Gr., D, West Alabama
David Nunez, Jr., F, West Alabama*
Organized alphabetically by school
* 2025 First Team All-GSC
^ 2025 Second Team All-GSC
2026 GSC Men's Soccer Newcomers to Watch List
Marc Lorenz, UAH (Fr., F, Oberstdorf, Germany)
Luis McCabe, UAH (Fr., F, Hull, England)
Ollie Rigby, UAH (Fr., D, Surrey, England)
Luke Butcher, AUM (Jr., D, Brackley, England)
Nathan Le Roux, AUM (Jr., F, Lannion, France)
Malik Mâwd, AUM (Fr., M, Berlin, Germany)
AJ Bowman, Christian Brothers (Jr., M/F, Waterford, Ireland)
Alessandro Merlo, Christian Brothers (Jr., F, Milan, Italy)
Twan Roeling, Christian Brothers (Jr., M/F, Heiloo, Netherlands)
Lian Feridani, Mississippi Christian (Fr., M, Frankfurt, Germany)
Karim Gegg, Mississippi Christian (So., F, Frankfurt, Germany)
Harry McLean, Mississippi Christian (Fr., F, Motherwell, Scotland)
Luis Billep, Montevallo (Fr., M, Rostock, Germany)
Ben Green, Montevallo (So., D, Prattville, Ala.)
Joaquin Wladdimiro, Montevallo (So., F, Santiago, Chile)
Jose "Pepe" Lozano, Spring Hill (Fr., GK, Mexico City, Mexico)
Alvaro Mestre, Spring Hill (So., M, Madrid, Spain)
Joe Coyle, Trevecca Nazarene (Jr., M, Liverpool, England)
Levi Jones, Trevecca Nazarene (M, Freetown, Sierra Leone)
Zion Jones, Trevecca Nazarene (F, Freetown, Sierra Leone)
Simeon Betapudi, Union (Gr., M, Memphis, Tenn.)
Lewis Harding, Union (Fr., F, Wakefield, England)
Nic Peranitsch, Union (Jr., M/F, Franklin, Tenn.)
Yabsira Cobo, West Alabama (Gr., F, Gijon, Spain)
Florian Laot, West Alabama (Fr., M, Bourg-des-comptes, France)
Jack Porter, West Alabama (Fr., D, Carlisle, England)
Organized alphabetically by school
