HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's soccer team has been picked to finish fifth in the Centennial Conference in 2026, according to the conference's preseason poll.
The Fords will look to return to the Centennial Conference Tournament in 2026 after a historic 2025 campaign. Haverford finished the season undefeated at 10-0-10, securing the program's first unbeaten season since 1945 while improving its win total by eight from the previous year. Behind one of the nation's strongest defenses, the Fords surrendered just nine goals all season and earned recognition in the Division III national poll for the first time since 2021. The campaign culminated with Haverford's first Centennial Conference Tournament appearance since 2019.
Dickinson earned the top spot in the preseason poll with 79 points and seven first-place votes. Johns Hopkins followed in second with 71 points and two first-place votes, while Muhlenberg received the remaining first-place vote and totaled 59 points to place third. Gettysburg was selected fourth with 57 points, followed by Haverford (51), Washington College (38), Franklin & Marshall (29), Swarthmore (27), McDaniel (25), and Ursinus (14).
Senior midfielder Thomas Vanni returns to lead the Fords after earning Third-team United Soccer Coaches All-Region V and Second-team All-Centennial Conference honors in 2025. Vanni started 19 contests and led both Haverford and the Centennial Conference with nine assists, a total that ranked 25th nationally. He also scored twice and led the Fords with 21 shots on goal, including a goal against No. 2 Rowan and the tying tally against Washington College.
Junior goalkeeper Grayson Benson also returns following an impressive 2025 campaign that earned him Third-team United Soccer Coaches All-Region V and Honorable Mention All-Centennial Conference recognition. Benson helped anchor a Haverford defense that allowed just nine goals and recorded 12 shutouts while finishing third in Division III with a 0.448 goals-against average. Individually, Benson tied for the Division III lead with 12 shutouts, ranked fifth nationally with a 0.46 goals-against average, and finished second nationally with a .833 save percentage.
Haverford opens the 2026 campaign on Tuesday, September 1, traveling to Immaculata for a 4 p.m. contest.
Fans are encouraged to keep up with HaverfordAthletics.com and follow @HCFords_Sports on X for the latest schedule updates and competition news.
