OPENING KICKOFF: The Snow College men's soccer team begins its Scenic West Athletic Conference title defense Thursday as they host No. 18 Casper College to begin the 2026 season. They will then take on No. 13 Arizona Western College Saturday to wrap up the Snow College Invitational.
 
The Badgers will meet the Thunderbirds at 1:00 p.m. before taking on the Matadors at 3:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Snow College Soccer Complex in Ephraim.
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Badgers will begin the 2026 campaign as the defending SWAC Champions – their first-ever regular-season title in program history. Snow College went 14-5 overall and 11-3 within conference play.
 
The Badgers started conference play by winning four consecutive games, during which they didn't surrender a single goal. They outscored their opponents 10-0 during that stretch.
 
They clinched the Conference Championship with a 4-0 victory against Truckee Meadows Community College to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Over the final four games of the regular season, the Badgers' offense found its stride, outscoring opponents 24-3 during that time.
 
The 14 victories the Badgers claimed during the 2025 season are the second-most in program history. Snow College went 17-4-1 during the 2018 season under Head Coach Nuno Gourgel. The Badgers' 11 conference wins are the most in program history and the first time a team has recorded more than nine wins.
 
A TITLE BY THE NUMBERS: The Badgers scored a total of 58 goals throughout the 2025 season. It's the third-most goals ever in program history. What's more, the Badgers allowed a program-low 18 goals throughout the year.
 
Snow College recorded seven shutouts throughout the season, which is the most since 2019, when it recorded eight clean sheets.
 
The Badgers collected two victories over ranked teams during the 2025 season. They defeated No. 18 Western Nebraska Community College 3-1 during the season's opening weekend. Later, they claimed a 2-1 win against No. 20 Utah State University Eastern.
 
A PEEK AT THE SCHEDULE: Following the two home matches at the Snow College Invitational, the Badgers will hit the road for two final non-conference matchups at the IHCC Classic in Ottumwa, Iowa.
 
The Badgers will take on Indian Hills Community College Friday, August 28 at 2:00 p.m. They'll wrap up their out-of-conference slate of games against Mohave Community College Saturday, August 29 at 1:00 p.m. at the IHCC Soccer Field.
 
Snow College will kick off SWAC play with a road matchup against Colorado Northwestern Community College Saturday, Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. The Badgers' conference home opener will take place Thursday, Sept. 10 against Salt Lake Community College in a rematch of the 2025 Region 18 Championship game. They'll also host USUE to culminate the homestand.
 
The Badgers will head out onto the road for a stretch of four games beginning with North Idaho College Sept. 17. They'll conclude the longest road trip of the season in Twin Falls against the College of Southern Idaho.
 
Snow College will play five of its last seven games at home beginning with CNCC Oct. 3. After the three-game homestand, they'll wrap up their road schedule against SLCC and USUE Oct. 15 and 17.
 
The regular season will end at home as the Badgers take on TMCC Oct. 22 and CSI Oct. 24. The Region 18 Tournament, should the Badgers qualify, will begin Oct. 29 and will be hosted by the winner of the regular season championship. The 2026 Region 18 Championship will take place Oct. 31.
 
BADGERS IN THE PRESEASON POLL: The Snow College men's soccer team has been ranked 19^th in the NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, which was unveiled Monday.
 
The ranking comes after the Badgers finished the 2025 season with a 14-5 overall record and an 11-3 mark within Scenic West Athletic Conference play. They were ranked 13^th in the final NJCAA Rankings of the season.
 
For the first time in school history, the Badgers won the regular-season SWAC Championship. They won seven of their final eight regular-season matchups to finish atop the conference standings and enter the Region 18 Tournament as the highest seed.
 
Indian Hills Community College claimed the top spot in the poll after winning the 2025 NJCAA National Championship. They earned a 1-0 victory against Daytona State College, which landed second in the poll.
 
Cowley County Community College, Mohave Community College, and Tyler Junior College rounded out the top five of the rankings.
 
The Badgers will have a tough stretch to begin the 2026 campaign, as each of their four non-conference games will be against teams in the top 20. Snow College will play six games against teams in the NJCAA Preseason Poll in 2026, including IHCC.
 
The Badgers will host Casper College and Arizona Western College at the Snow College Invitational to start the season. Casper was slotted one place ahead of the Badgers at 18^th, while AWC landed 13^th overall.
 
SWAC rival Salt Lake Community College ranked 16^th in the preseason poll after going 12-4-4 overall and 10-2-2 within conference play. The Badgers lost two of three matches to the Bruins last season, including the Region 18 Championship.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES: Snow will return 14 total players from the SWAC Championship team last season, including the SWAC Player of the Year Isaac Stanley.
 
Stanley not only led the conference with 28 total points throughout the year, but he was 21^st in the nation. He recorded eight goals and dished 12 assists, which was good enough for fourth-best in the country. Stanley was one of just two Badgers to play in all 19 games for the team last season.
 
Snow College will also return a pair of All-Conference selections from 2025, including JJ Cubillas, who was selected to the first team, and Carter Archuleta, who received third-team honors.
 
Cubillas was second on the team in points with 21 as he scored five goals and handed out 11 assists in just 13 games played. Archuleta played and started in all but one game during the season. He recorded three goals, including a game-winning goal against CNCC.
 
In addition to Stanley and Cubillas offensively, the Badgers return Jorge Beltran and Kade Davis, who combined to score eight goals and four assists during the 2025 campaign. In total, the Badgers will return four of their top six point scorers from last year.
 
Liam Kilbane, Gabe Newman, and Luis Ornelas will rejoin the frontline after scoring a combined four goals and dishing two assists last year.
 
Returning alongside Archuleta defensively are Jeff De Couteau, Tom Culverhouse, Josh Kilsby, Amir Odeh, and William Fausett. Kahler Speyer, a goalkeeper, will also return for the Badgers. As mentioned, this group was part of the best defense in program history, allowing just 18 goals throughout the season.
 
The 14 returners will be joined by 17 incoming freshmen and one transfer student, Alex Guillory (Iowa Western Community College). The 2026 roster features players from four different states and seven different countries.
 
A NEW FACE AT THE HELM: Entering his first season at the front of the program is Head Coach Lewis Wilson. Wilson was named the interim head coach in January following the departure of Jack Larter, who accepted a coaching position at Utah Valley University after the 2025 season. Wilson served as the assistant coach for both the men's and women's programs last year.
 
Wilson was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, and spent eight years in the Aberdeen FC Academy. After being released, he signed with Inverurie Locos in the Highland League.
 
At 18, Wilson moved to the United States to study and play at St. Mary's University in San Antonio and later at the University of Central Arkansas. He was a two-time All-American selection. After his college career, he returned home to play two seasons with Formartine United in the Highland League.
 
During his time at Formartine, he also served as assistant coach for the Formartine United U20s, gaining valuable experience in player development. In the spring of 2025, Wilson began his U.S. coaching career as a volunteer assistant with Westminster College before being hired at Snow College to serve as the assistant coach for both the men's and women's soccer teams.
 
Wilson will be joined on the sideline by Jay Younger, who is in his first season with the program. Younger comes to Ephraim from Northeastern Junior College, where he served as the assistant coach from 2024-2026.
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will head out onto the road for the first time this season and take on IHCC and MCC at the IHCC Classic in Ottumwa, Iowa. They'll face the Warriors Friday, Aug. 28 at 2:00 p.m. MST before taking on the Aggies Saturday, Aug. 29 at 1:00 p.m.
 
IHCC finished the 2025 regular season with a 12-6-4 overall record and a 1-1-1 mark within conference play. They suffered a loss to No. 2 IWCC in the Midwest District Championship but earned an at-large bid into the NJCAA National Tournament.
 
After a meeting with the defending national champs, Snow College will take on No. 4 MCC. The Bighorns went 19-2 overall last season and 8-0 within the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. They suffered a 3-1 defeat to Daytona State College in the semifinal round of the NJCAA National Tournament.
 
For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.