Mary Washington claimed the top spot in the 2025 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, following a vote among the conference head coaches. The Eagles, who have won the last three league titles, collected 36 points and six first-place votes to headline the rankings.

Christopher Newport claimed one first-place vote and 30 points to finish second. UC Santa Cruz and Salisbury collected 24 points each for third place.

C2C newcomer JWU Charlotte tallied 15 points in fifth place, while first-year member Regent (10) and Warren Wilson (8) completed the poll. 

The 2025 season kicks off August 29 with the C2C Men's Soccer Championship, a 6-team tournament, hosted by Christopher Newport in Newport News, Virginia, on November 6-7-9. 

Below is a brief preview of each team entering the 2025 season:

Mary Washington: Fresh off its third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and C2C championship, the Eagles return to the pitch as the preseason favorite to win the league for the fourth-straight year. UMW is also the No. 9 team in the country, according to the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.  The Eagles finished last season 19-2-2 as they started the 2024 season with 16 matches without a loss, setting a new program record. In 2025, UMW will look a little different on the field as the Eagles return just one of their starters in the Sweet 16 loss. Sammy Amorose returns at the forefront of the Eagles' offense. UMW also brings back a great deal of experience as Nathan Macek, Michael Lenhard, Jack Sturman, Alex Keeton, Gerrard Valoyi, and Blake Hoskins saw extended action last season.

Christopher Newport: The Captains reached the conference championship game in 2024 after facing the toughest schedule in NCAA Division III. This year, CNU will return the bulk of a lineup that was led offensively by sophomore Drew McWhinney (6g), Manzi Siibo (4g, 1a), and Zach Ruhlman (3g). Defensively, All-Region senior Asher Kuzemka led the way while conference Rookie of the Year Declan Karney returns to the lineup as well. Head coach Justin Chezem has guided the Captains to the NCAA Tournament in four of his first five seasons at the helm and will open the 2025 season at home with six straight home games starting Friday, August 29.

UC Santa Cruz: The Banana Slugs finished 2024 with a 6-2-9 record while earning six All-Conference accolades. Among the six All-C2C honorees, UCSC welcomes back second-teamers Soren Groessl and Joaquin Greenberg. The pair both scored four goals on the year with Groessl dishing out two assists. The Banana Slugs will welcome nine new players to the 2025 roster to complete their 28-man roster.

Salisbury: The Sea Gulls are coming off a 2024 season with a record of 5-7-5 against a strength of schedule ranked among the top-10 in NCAA Division III. Facing a similarly challenging slate in 2025, SU will return a trio of All-C2C selections, including first-team forward Gavin Miller and second-team midfielders Tristan Brannock and Jack Schwarz.

JWU Charlotte: Teddy Bogba takes over as head coach for JWU men's soccer in 2025, returning the core of a team that earned a berth in the 2024 USCAA National Championships. That group will be bolstered by nine new players this season. The Wildcats' strength will be the back line as seniors Alex Tsoukalas, Parker Davidson, Antonino Terranova and junior Carter Bonini team with goalkeeper Colin Starr to form a stout defensive group. The JWU attack will feature seniors Lucas Lesh and Eugenio de la Parra Polina, who have combined for 27 goals during their careers.

Regent: New Head Coach Jared Welsh takes over a Royals program that is entering its first year as members of the NCAA and C2C.  Regent is returning a strong core led by junior goalkeeper Conner Henriques (Spotsylvania, Va.), and senior midfielders Drew Thomas (Lynchburg, Va.) and Graylan Gill (Hanover, Va.).  Last season the Royals were ranked in the NCCAA Top 20 nationally in points and goals and #25 overall in shots.  In addition to their DIII slate of games, Regent will also travel to DI Liberty and Old Dominion.            

Warren Wilson: The Owls enter the 2025 season under new leadership with head coach Maximiliano Viera, assisted by Agustin Contreras and Max Segovia. After the 2024 season was cut short due to the devastation of Hurricane Helene, WWC returns a solid core of returners and a versatile freshman class. The Owls will be anchored by senior leaders John Rhoden, Benjamin Soto, and Adolfo Castrejon, who provide strength through the midfield and attack.