FOREST, Va. – With a new coaching staff leading the way and a new roster on the field, the Guilford College men's soccer team looks to take on the challenge that will be the 2026 season, getting selected 11th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference offices on Thursday afternoon.
"I am not surprised at our predicted position for this year. We have been using it as motivation since I joined the program in the Spring. We know we have to be better and more consistent this season to earn the respect of others in the conference," said Men's Soccer Head Coach
Sean Reilly. "We are really embracing this challenge and we are confident that we will be in a great spot to compete in the ODAC this season."
The 2026 squad will look a lot different from the 2025 team following an off-season of graduations and transfers. Last season marked the program's most wins since 2022, while also securing its first outright ODAC win since that season. The returners and newcomers, however, will look to continue raising the standards and climbing the ranks under Reilly's leadership.
Defensively, the Quakers returned starting goal keeper,
Ildis Vital-Peraza (Vienna, Va.), who recorded three wins and two clean sheets in 2025 while leading the team in saves and save percentage. Vital-Peraza is joined in net by two newcomers – freshman
Xavier Porter (Belmont, N.C.), and senior transfer
Sam Bayer (Lakeville, Minn.).
Jaykob Gabria (Copenhagen, Denmark) returns to anchor the backline while providing an offensive presence. Gabria finished second on the team in both goals (six) and points (14) last season. Back for his senior season with the Quakers, defensive midfielder
Dani Santos (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) aims to be an anchor on the pitch after locking down 16 starts last season. Fellow senior defender
Jairo Medel Penaloza (Winston-Salem, N.C.), returns to the backline after contributing to four GC shutouts last season, while junior
Chase Lewis (Fayetteville, N.C.) was putting together a breakout 2025 season, contributing to two clean sheets before his season was cut short due to injury. Lewis will look to build upon that momentum with a healthy 2026 campaign.
Guilford returns its leading scorer from a season ago in
Isaac Gabria (Copenhagen, Denmark), who should lead offensive efforts as a midfielder, after netting a team-high seven goals and adding two assists in the 2025 season for 16 points. Another strong presence in the midfield should come with senior
Chris Hercules (Greensboro, N.C.), who has spent his entire collegiate career in his hometown, and added nine points for GC in 2025.
Demetrio Candela-Habana (Winston-Salem, N.C) and
Ken Vasquez (Pittsboro, N.C.) will also look to make an impact in the midfield after recording six and four points, respectively, during the 2025 campaign.
Guilford men's soccer opens their season on the road at Pfeiffer University on September 1, just before their home opener on September 5 against cross-town rival Greensboro College. Three weeks later, the Quakers open ODAC conference play on September 26 against Hampden-Sydney College on their home turf.
| Rk. |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
University of Lynchburg (11) |
121 pts. |
| 2. |
Washington & Lee University (1) |
111 pts. |
| 3. |
Hampden-Sydney College |
101 pts. |
| 4. |
Bridgewater College |
84 pts. |
| 5. |
Batten University |
79 pts. |
| 6. |
Randolph-Macon College |
61 pts. |
| 7. |
Roanoke College |
57 pts. |
| 8. |
Shenandoah University |
56 pts. |
| 9. |
Randolph College |
48 pts. |
| 10. |
EMU |
41 pts. |
| 11. |
Guilford College |
18 pts. |
| 12. |
Averett University |
15 pts. |
#GoQuakes
