The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced its 2025 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday, and Gannon University men's soccer team was selected as the clear favorite to capture the PSAC West title.
The Golden Knights, led by back-to-back PSAC West Coach of the Year
Billy Colton, earned five of the six possible first-place votes following another standout season in 2024. Now in his seventh season, Colton has guided Gannon to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) and five PSAC Tournament berths (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). This fall, the Golden Knights look to secure their 10th PSAC Tournament berth and 14th NCAA appearance in program history.
Seeking redemption after a postseason loss to West Chester in 2023, Gannon opened last year's PSAC Tournament by defeating the Rams 1-0 in the semifinals. Their pursuit of a first conference championship, however, came up just short as host Bloomsburg, the top seed from the Eastern Division, edged the Golden Knights 2-1 in the title match. Gannon advanced to the Super Regional 1 second round, where they pushed two-time defending national champion Franklin Pierce to overtime before falling 3-2, finishing the year with a 14-4-3 overall record.
Colton's squad collected plenty of hardware in 2024, earning three of the four major PSAC postseason awards.
Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena) repeated as PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year, while the Golden Knights dominated the PSAC West First Team with seven honorees:
Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs),
Pau Ferrer (Valencia, Spain/ISES Isabel de Villena),
James Pool (Hastings, England/Claverham),
Herman Aanberg (Hamar, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Oslo),
Bautista Corti (Manuel Alberti, Argentina/Adultos 2000),
Andre Moraes (Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil/Colegio Singular), and
Alander Soares (Caxias do Sul, Brazil/Escola Estadual de Ensino Medio Santa Catarina).
Nationally, Gannon is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll announced on July 31. The Golden Knights return three All-PSAC standouts — midfielder Orten, the 2024 PSAC West Athlete of the Year and a consensus All-American; defender Ferrer, the reigning Defensive Athlete of the Year and an All-American; and goalkeeper Moraes, a D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team selection.
Seton Hill, which earned the remaining first-place vote, was picked second in the PSAC West, followed by Slippery Rock, Lock Haven, California (Pa.), and Pitt-Johnstown. In the East Division, Bloomsburg — the 2024 PSAC champion — topped the poll with three first-place votes, narrowly ahead of Millersville (two first-place votes), while East Stroudsburg claimed the final first-place nod.
The Golden Knights will open their 2025 season on Thursday, September 4, at Lake Erie College, with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m.
2025 PSAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
(
First-place votes in parentheses)
East Division
- Bloomsburg (3)
- Millersville (2)
- East Stroudsburg (1)
- West Chester
- Shepherd
- Shippensburg
West Division
- GANNON (5)
- Seton Hill (1)
- Slippery Rock
- Lock Haven
- California (Pa.)
- Pitt-Johnstown
