TURLOCK, Calif.---The No. 5 nationally ranked Stan State men's soccer team kicks off its 2026 season on the road in the Pacific Northwest with a pair of key early-season regional matchups against Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponents. The Warriors begin the campaign on Thursday, Aug. 27, with a 7 p.m. match against No. 25 Seattle Pacific at Interbay Soccer Stadium in Seattle before traveling to Bellingham to face Western Washington on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. at Harrington Field.

POWELL BEGINS FOURTH SEASON AT HELM: Stan State head coach John Powell begins his fourth season leading his alma mater and sixth season overall as a collegiate head coach. Powell enters the 2026 campaign with a 28-18-10 record at Stan State and a 54-36-13 career record.

Powell's 28 victories rank third among Stan State men's soccer head coaches, trailing only Dana Taylor (91) and Eric Mild (42). His .589 winning percentage is the highest among the seven head coaches listed in the program's all-time records. Powell needs two victories to become the third head coach in program history to reach 30 wins.

Powell guided the Warriors to one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2025. Stan State finished 17-2-1, captured its first CCAA Tournament Championship since 2012 and advanced to the NCAA Division II Third Round for the deepest NCAA postseason run in program history. The Warriors climbed to No. 1 in the nation for two consecutive weeks, established a program-record 14-match unbeaten streak and finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally.

For his efforts, Powell was named the CCAA Coach of the Year, while the Stan State coaching staff was named the United Soccer Coaches West Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

The Warriors' coaching staff will also feature a familiar face in 2026 as former Stan State All-American Ian Reis joins the program as a student assistant. Reis earned United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors in 2025 and was named the CCAA Tournament Defensive MVP while helping the Warriors capture the conference tournament championship and advance to the NCAA Division II Third Round.

WARRIORS BEGIN SEASON RANKED NO. 5: Stan State enters the 2026 season ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25. It marks the first time in program history that the Warriors have been ranked in the national top 10 in the preseason poll. Stan State finished the 2025 season at No. 5 after spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 during its historic campaign.

The Warriors are the highest-ranked CCAA team in the preseason poll and one of three conference programs recognized nationally. Cal State Dominguez Hills enters the season at No. 20, while Cal State San Bernardino is receiving votes.

Stan State will be tested immediately with a Top-25 regional matchup in Thursday's season opener at No. 25 Seattle Pacific. Midwestern State begins the season ranked No. 1 nationally, followed by Rollins, Fort Hays State and Southern New Hampshire ahead of the fifth-ranked Warriors.

PICKED SECOND IN THE CCAA: The No. 5 Warriors were picked to finish second in the 2026 CCAA Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll. Stan State received four first-place votes and 148 points, finishing just seven points behind preseason favorite Cal State Dominguez Hills, which received five first-place votes and 155 points. It marks the highest Stan State has been selected in the conference preseason poll during Powell's tenure.

Cal Poly Pomona was picked third with 142 points and two first-place votes, followed by Cal State LA with 137 points and one first-place vote. Cal State San Bernardino rounded out the top five with 119 points and one first-place vote.

WARRIORS RETURN PLENTY OF FIREPOWER: Stan State returns several key contributors from a 2025 team that scored 44 goals and averaged 2.20 goals per match. The returning Warriors accounted for 30 of the team's 44 goals last season.

Senior Gerardo Flores returns after recording nine goals, six assists and 24 points, while senior Emmanuel Duran led the Warriors with 10 goals and finished with 23 points. Alexis Cervantes added five goals and three assists, Adrian Yepez recorded two goals and seven assists, and Kenneth Solares scored four goals.

Stan State finished 2025 with a 44-11 scoring advantage and recorded 12 shutouts on its way to a 17-2-1 record.

2026 WARRIORS: Stan State's 2026 roster features 28 players, including 17 returners from last season's CCAA Tournament championship and NCAA Division II Third Round team. The returning group is led by All-Americans Gerardo Flores and Emmanuel Duran, along with Alexis Cervantes, Adrian Yepez, Federico Barbieri and Jose Ponce.

The Warriors also welcome 11 newcomers, including transfers Eric Reis (Dominican), Colin Davis (De Anza), Eduardo Reyna (West Valley), Cameron Belandres (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Khristian Rubio (Merced), Dylan Isasi (Gonzaga) and Luis Saldana (Solano). Freshmen Alfredo Figueroa, Yandel Ceja, Leo Avalos and Turlock native Kevin Ramirez round out the newcomers.

CLOSING IN ON THE RECORD BOOK: Three Warriors enter the 2026 season closing in on Stan State's career offensive lists. Emmanuel Duran enters the year with 10 career goals as a Warrior, just one shy of tying for ninth on the program's career list. Gerardo Flores enters with nine career goals and needs two to reach 11 and a spot in the career top 10. Duran and Flores posted those totals during their first seasons at Stan State in 2025.

Adrian Yepez enters his third season at Stan State with eight career assists. His next assist will give him nine and move him into a tie for eighth on the Warriors' career list. Yepez has recorded five goals, eight assists and 18 points in 38 matches during his first two seasons at Stan State.

Flores enters 2026 with 24 career points at Stan State, while Duran has 23. The current threshold for the Warriors' career top 10 in points is 29.

SEATTLE PACIFIC: No. 25 Seattle Pacific enters 2026 after posting a 12-5-4 record last season, including a 6-2-2 mark in GNAC play. The Falcons advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament, where their season ended with a 1-0 loss at Midwestern State.

Seattle Pacific returns a large portion of an offense that scored 45 goals and averaged 2.14 goals per match. The Falcons bring back 28 of their 45 goals and 25 of 33 assists from last season, led by senior forward JJ Diaz, who recorded seven goals, one assist and three game-winning goals. Lukas Shriner returns after totaling three goals and four assists, while Cristian Chel Lara and Rafael Lucio each finished with four goals and three assists. Isaac Ketcham added a team-high five assists.

SERIES VS. SEATTLE PACIFIC: Stan State is 1-0-1 against Seattle Pacific in a series that dates to 2007. The two programs played to a 0-0 draw in the first meeting before the Warriors earned a 2-1 victory in Turlock in last season's opener.

Alexis Cervantes scored the Warriors' first goal in last year's victory before Gerardo Flores delivered the game-winner with three minutes remaining in regulation. Thursday's match will mark Stan State's first road contest in the series.

WESTERN WASHINGTON: Western Washington enters 2026 after finishing last season 8-8-3 overall and 6-3-1 in GNAC play. The Vikings scored 31 goals while allowing 29 and averaged 1.63 goals per match.
The Vikings return several offensive contributors but will have to replace leading scorer Joar Tidblom, who scored 10 of the team's 31 goals in 2025. Reiley Buri-Brown returns after leading Western Washington with nine assists while adding a goal for 11 points. Jose Perez also totaled 11 points with four goals and three assists. Jack Haegele scored twice, while Landon Schulze and Edgar Serrano each added a goal.

Western Washington also returns starting goalkeeper Charlie Dyer, who played 18 matches and recorded four shutouts last season.

SERIES VS. WESTERN WASHINGTON: Stan State and Western Washington are tied 2-2-1 in the all-time series. The Warriors won 3-0 in Bellingham in 2006, while Western Washington earned a 2-1 overtime victory in Turlock in 2000. The Vikings won 1-0 in 2007 before the teams played to a 4-4 draw in 2010.

Stan State evened the series with a 4-1 victory in Turlock last season. Sebastian Carbajal opened the scoring before Kenneth Solares gave the Warriors a 2-0 advantage early in the second half. After Western Washington cut the lead to 2-1, Emmanuel Duran scored twice in a span of 55 seconds to put the match away. Adrian Yepez assisted on Duran's first goal, while Gerardo Flores assisted on his second.

Saturday's match will be the first meeting between the programs in Bellingham since Stan State's 3-0 victory in 2006.

WATCH THE WARRIORS: Both of Stan State's matches in Washington will be streamed live on the GNAC Network. Fans can watch Thursday's match at Seattle Pacific and Saturday's match at Western Washington at GNACNetwork.com. Live stats for both matches will be available at WarriorAthletics.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary.

WATCH WARRIOR ATHLETICS ON FLOCollege: Warrior fans can follow Stan State on FloCollege throughout the season when the Warriors compete at CCAA venues. A FloCollege subscription provides access to more than 12,000 events throughout the season and can be streamed through the FloSports app on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and mobile devices. Visit FloCollege.com to subscribe and follow the Warriors when they compete at CCAA venues.

UP NEXT: Following its season-opening road trip, Stan State returns to Warrior Stadium for four consecutive non-conference matches. The Warriors host Saint Martin's on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. and Simon Fraser on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. Stan State closes out its non-conference schedule the following week against Hawai'i Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. and Dominican on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m.
The Warriors begin CCAA play at home on Friday, Sept. 18, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay at 7 p.m. at Warrior Stadium.