PSAC Release | 2026 Lock Haven Schedule
 
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) released its 2026 Men's Soccer Preseason Polls on Tuesday, Aug. 11, as voted on by the league's coaches.
 
Picked to finish third in the PSAC West, the Bald Eagles are predicted by the coaches to reach the PSAC Championship Tournament for the second straight season after rejoining the Western Division in 2025.
 
2026 PSAC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON POLLS
 
WEST
1. Gannon (5)
2. Seton Hill (1)
3. Lock Haven
4. Slippery Rock
5. California
6. Pitt-Johnstown
 
EAST
1. Millersville (4)
2. West Chester (2)
3. Bloomsburg
4. East Stroudsburg
5. Shepherd
6. Shippensburg
 
Western Division Preview (psacsports.org)
For the fifth straight year, Gannon University was voted No. 1 in the PSAC West Division Men's Soccer Preseason Poll. Last season, the Golden Knights won their first-ever PSAC Championship with a 2-1 win over Millersville and went 15-3-4 overall (8-0-2 in conference play.) GU scored 65 goals last fall, the most in the conference and 30 more than the second-most total. While plenty of talent has moved on from last year's roster, a pair of senior First Team All-Conference returnees from a season ago include defender Jensen Peake and forward Rafa Hyde, who scored 10 goals and assisted on nine others in 2025. Hyde was third in the PSAC in total points (29)
 
Seton Hill was named the No. 2 team in the West's Preseason Poll. The team finished with an 11-6-1 record (7-2-1 PSAC) in 2025 to finish second in the division before being ousted by Bloomsburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals, 1-0. Last fall, junior forward James Aubrey scored 11 goals and added two assists. He earned First Team All-Conference honors along with sophomore defender Ron Klinger and senior midfielders Vasilis Christodoulou and Julian Marker. 2025 Second Team honorees included freshman defender Felix Knorn and sophomore forward Rowan Aisenbrey.
 
No. 3 team Lock Haven (8-7-4 overall, 4-3-3 PSAC) return plenty of players from that team, including PSAC Western Division Defensive Player of the Year Danny Ogan. First Team All-Conference forward Kade Black also returns after scoring nine goals and tallying one assist. Also back are Second Team honorees Owen Lichtenwalner (defender), midfielders Javier Contreras Leon and Billy Lawrence, and goalkeeper Ethan Beck.
 
The fourth team in the West Poll, Slippery Rock, finished 2025 fourth in the division with a record of 4-4-2 (7-7-3 overall.) Top goalscorer and Second Team All-Conference forward Kaden Reynolds returns after scoring eight goals last fall, as does fellow Second Team midfielder Ryan Hanes.
 
California is No. 5 and Pitt-Johnstown is No. 6 to round out the rest of the 2026 West poll.
 
A Look Back at 2025
In 2025, The Haven finished the regular season 8-6-4 overall and 4-3-3 in the PSAC West, while reaching the postseason for the first time since 2021, in just its second year back in the Western Division.
 
Ogan was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year and the Bald Eagles landed six athletes on the All-League Team.  
 
Ogan and Black (Forward) landed on the First Team, while Lichtenwalner (Defense), Javier Leon (Midfield), Lawrence (Midfield) and Beck (Goalkeeper) were all named to the Second Team.
 
Ogan was also named a D2CCA (First Team) and United Soccer Coaches (Second Team) All-Atlantic Region Defender.
 
Incoming Class
The Bald Eagles welcome seven student-athletes from Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and England.  

Long also announced the addition of Rocco Birns to the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
 
Learn more about the newest Lock Haven men's soccer student-athletes by clicking here.
 
From Coach Long: "We are excited to welcome seven incoming players as a part of the 2026 recruiting class. I appreciate the hard work and commitment from (outgoing) Graduate Assistant Coach Rodgers and his strong recruiting efforts. We look forward to these talented student-athletes joining our large group of returners from our '25 PSAC playoff team. Of the seven players, four join us from Pennsylvania (Barabas, Isardat, Shealy, and Syed), one from New York (Freelove), one from Maryland (Nambiar), and one international from England (Stanton). Once again, our strong group of Alumni and supporters helped to keep us informed with talented players in their respective areas. I also look forward to our new graduate assistant coach Rocco Birns joining us and helping these seven men transition to college soccer and life at the Haven."
 
The Road Ahead
Lock Haven will open its 2026 season at home on Thursday, Aug. 27, against Frostburg State at 4 p.m. at Hubert Jack Stadium. The Bald Eagles then travel to Findlay, Ohio, for a 1 p.m. match Sunday, Aug. 30, before returning home to host Shepherd at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.
 
Lock Haven's early schedule includes a 3 p.m. road game at Felician in Rutherford, New Jersey, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, followed by a noon home contest against Bloomsburg on Saturday, Sept. 12. The Bald Eagles then play three consecutive road games: at East Stroudsburg at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16; at District of Columbia at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19; and at Gannon in Erie at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. They return home for a 1 p.m. match against Seton Hill on Saturday, Sept. 26, then travel to Slippery Rock for a 4 p.m. game Wednesday, Sept. 30.
 
October begins with a 4:30 p.m. road game at Shippensburg on Saturday, Oct. 3, followed by a 3 p.m. home match against Pitt-Johnstown on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and a 1 p.m. road contest at California (Pa.) on Saturday, Oct. 10. Lock Haven will host Slippery Rock at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, for Youth Soccer Appreciation Night.
 
The regular season closes with road games at Seton Hill at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, and at Pitt-Johnstown at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, before Senior Day at home against California (Pa.) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.