Wheeling, W. Va. - With the addition of Shawnee State for the 2026 season, the Mountain East Conference (MEC) landscape is changing in Men's Soccer. For the first time, the MEC Men's Soccer standings will be split into north and south divisions, with each division featuring five teams. The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team was voted #5 in the annual MEC Preseason Men's Soccer Poll, based on a vote of the conference's head coaches. 

2026 will start a new era for the Wheeling Men's Soccer team, with Jack Shearer taking over in his first season as Head Men's Soccer Coach. Shearer takes over a team that is full of young talent, with the 2025 roster featuring six freshmen in the regular starting 11. After going through some growing pains early on, the Cardinals found their footing as the season went on, adjusting to the college game. Over their final five games of the season, the Cardinals averaged 1.40 goals per game during that stretch, including a season-high three-goal performance in what was a 4-3 loss at the hands of West Liberty. The defense remained solid throughout the season, allowing two goals or fewer in eight games during the season, including their lone shutout of the season against Salem on September 17th. They held their opponents to a .509 shot on goal percentage during the season, and that defense will look to continue leading the way this season. 

The defense that led the way for the Cardinals a season ago returns two key players in junior Pablo Prieto and sophomore Diego Marquez. Prieto was the team's starting center back during the 2025 season, helping force bad shots at almost a 50% clip for the opposition. Along with his work on defense, Prieto would also step up to help the offense, finishing with two goals and one assist on the season. Behind him, Marquez took control of the net for the Cardinals, finishing with a team-best 51 saves and a .699 save percentage on the season. He would be a part of the Cardinals' lone win of the season, shutting out Salem, and started a team-best 11 games for the team a season ago. On the offensive end, Jon-Michael Gordon returned from injury to lead the Cardinals with three goals, while Elie Simon earned an All-Freshman team spot with one goal of his own from the midfield. 

As they head into 2026, the team will split their non-conference games to start the year, traveling to CAL-U on August 27 and opening their home schedule with Walsh on August 30. They will open their MEC schedule on the road against Point Park, before playing four of their next five games on their home field. Four of the five games will be against conference opponents, including three divisional games, as they look to use the home field to their advantage. They kick off October with two more home games, and play four total at home over the final month. Since taking over in May, Shearer has set the goal of getting the team back to the MEC Tournament, and grabbing one of the top three spots in the MEC North Division. The young Cardinals look to grow on their first collegiate seasons, and get back to the postseason. 

Leading the way in the annual MEC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll were Davis & Elkins in the north and Charleston in the south. The Senators received five first-place votes and 36 total points in the north, while Charleston received six first-place votes and 36 total points in the south. The MEC North Division featured three teams receiving first-place votes, with Point Park receiving four first-place votes and 33 points, while West Liberty received one first-place vote and 26 total points. In the south, Concord would sit second with three first-place votes and 35 total points, while Salem sits third with 22 total points. The rest of the preseason poll is listed below: 

MEC North

The Wheeling University Men's Soccer team kicks off the 2026 season on Thursday August 27, when they travel to CAL-U at 7 PM.