ORLANDO, Fla.- The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team was picked to finish in second place in the preseason Sunshine State Conference poll for the upcoming 2026 season. The poll is voted on by the head coaches of the conference.

On the heels of a impactful 2025 campaign that saw the team win the SSC Regular Season Championship, the Sailfish return key starters from last year's team including Flavio Giannini, Veit Klement, Niklas Mahler, Ole Lichter, and Fabio Reck among others. With many seniors graduating from last years roster, the 'Fish bring in a younger roster coming into the season that's hungry and ready to leave their mark on the field.

Head coach Lucas Martorana enters his fourth season at the helm for the Sailfish, with newly promoted full-time assistant coach Leo Jean-Jacques as the right hand man after spending last season as a volunteer assistant.

Martorana comes off a season which saw PBA get its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament under his leadership along with the Sailfish coaching staff winning the SSC Coaching Staff of the Year award. The Sailfish went 8-0-2 in conference play, the programs first undefeated SSC run since 2017.

Lynn, who won the SSC Tournament and made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, took the first spot earning five of the 11 first place votes as coaches are not allowed to vote for their own program. The Sailfish came up just behind with four of the votes. Meanwhile Rollins, who eliminated the Sailfish in the SSC Tournament but lost to Lynn in the finals came in third with the final two first place votes. Florida Tech and Nova Southeastern rounded out the top five taking the remaining two spots.

The Sailfish kick off season with home matches against Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman on Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 before going on the three-game road trip that includes stops in Georgia and Virginia. The SSC Regular Season Title defense starts on Sep. 16 as the 'Fish host Barry. In their last meeting, PBA took home a 3-1 win over the Bucs. PBA heads to Winter Park to take on third ranked Rollins on Sep. 19 and will travel to Boca Raton on Oct. 21 for their highly anticipated matchup against first ranked Lynn.