FRISCO – The East Texas A&M University soccer team is picked to finish second in the Southland Conference during the 2026 season as the conference unveiled the preseason conference poll on Thursday morning.
The Southland Conference preseason poll is voted on by each school, ranking their predicted order of regular-season finish, not including their own team. First-place votes are worth 10 points, second-place votes are worth nine, and so on to one point for 10
th place.
The Lions received 76 points among the other 10 voters around the conference for second place. East Texas A&M finished fourth in the regular season a year ago, having finished in the top four of the conference in each of its four seasons in the Southland.
Last year's conference champion Northwestern State was picked to repeat as the Southland Champion. The Lady Demons have won two of the last five conference titles. Lamar, winner of two of the last four conference titles, and HCU, last year's Southland Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant, are tied for third.
East Texas A&M returns 12 players from last season, highlighted by second team all-conference selection
Malaya Ring (Dana Point, Calif.). The 14-player newcomer class includes eight transfers, with four coming from Division I institutions.
The Lions host Navarro College for an exhibition contest next Wednesday at 11 a.m. and begin the regular season at Grambling on August 13. The first home regular season contest comes on August 16 at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma.
Season and single match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
2026 SOUTHLAND SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
Team (First-Place votes) |
Pts |
| 1 |
Northwestern State (7) |
96 |
| 2 |
EAST TEXAS A&M |
76 |
| T-3 |
Lamar (2) |
74 |
| T-3 |
HCU (1) |
74 |
| 5 |
SFA (1) |
66 |
| 6 |
Southeastern |
65 |
| 7 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
51 |
| 8 |
UIW |
37 |
| 9 |
McNeese |
26 |
| T-10 |
Nicholls |
20 |
| T-10 |
UTRGV |
20 |
-ETAMU-
