AUGUSTA, Ga. – Lander men's soccer has been picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Peach Belt Conference, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
The new season brings a swath of changes for the Bearcats, including a new coaching staff consisting of head coach
Paul Leese, assistant coach
Chris Ketron and graduate assistant coach
Diogo Cardoso.
Lander also returns nine players to its varsity roster while making about 25 additions.
Among those returners is senior
Carson Graves, a now-four-year member of the Bearcats, who matched his career high of seven points last season.
Callum Gregory saw increased playing time as the season progressed last year and made the starting 11 five times over the final month. The Bearcats earned the No. 2 seed in the PBC Championship before falling to eventual champion Flagler in the semifinals.
LU kicks off the 2026 campaign at Wingate next Saturday, August 29 at 7 p.m. The Bearcats will host their home opener on Sep. 2 versus Belmont Abbey at 7:30 p.m., followed by another match under the lights at Van Taylor Stadium on Sep. 5 versus North Greenville at 7:30.
PBC play begins Sep. 9 on the road against rival North Georgia in Dahlonega. The final non-conference match will be in Florence against Francis Marion on Sep. 16.
The opening round of the PBC Championship is scheduled for Halloween, with the semifinals slated for Nov. 4 and the championship game set for Nov. 7.
PBC Preseason Poll:
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Flagler (6) |
36 |
| 2. |
North Georgia (1) |
30 |
| 3. |
Clayton State |
26 |
| 4. |
Lander |
20 |
| 5. |
USCA |
17 |
| 6. |
Georgia Southwestern |
11 |
| 7. |
Middle Georgia |
7 |
