Howard Community College men’s soccer team enters the 2026 season ranked No. 11 in the NJCAA Division II National Poll, the highest preseason ranking for the Dragons since joining Division II soccer in 2020. The team has set reaching the national tournament as its goal after a 15-2-1 season in 2025.
Howard Community College announced the ranking Aug. 11, 2026, ahead of the team’s opening invitational in Indianapolis. The Dragons will face the No. 15 Schoolcraft College Ocelots on Friday, Aug. 21, and the No. 5 Northeast Community College Hawks on Sunday, Aug. 23.
Howard Community College Men’s Soccer Builds on 2025 Season
Howard finished the 2025 season 15-2-1 and ranked No. 14 nationally at the end of the season. The Dragons entered the Region 20 tournament as the No. 1 seed but lost in the Region 20 championship game.
Rob Ryerson is entering his third year as Howard Community College’s head men’s soccer coach. Howard has gone 23-9-2 over the last two seasons and earned a top-four seed in Region 20 in both years.
The Dragons opened both the 2024 and 2025 seasons with six-game winning streaks. Howard will look to build on that recent success as it pursues a national tournament berth in 2026.
Seven Starters Return for the Dragons
Howard returns seven starters from its 2025 team, including leading scorer and All-American Yeabsira Tesfaye. Tesfaye scored 13 goals last season, while Kiar Sani scored 11, combining for 24 goals. Jonathan Sanchez also returns as Howard’s starting goalkeeper after recording 11 clean sheets in 2025.
Howard Opens Against Two Ranked Opponents
Howard will face the Schoolcraft College Ocelots at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, as part of the Indianapolis invitational. Schoolcraft enters the season ranked No. 15 after finishing 14-2 last season.
The Dragons will then play the Northeast Community College Hawks at noon Sunday, Aug. 23. Northeast enters the season ranked No. 5 after a 13-2-1 season and an at-large berth in the national tournament.
The two games mark the start of Howard’s season during which the Dragons hold their highest preseason ranking since joining Division II soccer.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Howard Community College men’s soccer enters 2026 with its highest preseason ranking since joining Division II soccer and seven returning starters from last season. Yeabsira Tesfaye, Kiar Sani, and Jonathan Sanchez also return after notable performances in 2025.
The Indianapolis invitational begins Howard’s season with games against ranked NJCAA Division II opponents Schoolcraft College and Northeast Community College.
Source: Original report
