The DII men’s soccer top 25 has long been a fickle beast. Although teams like Lynn, Charleston (WV) and CSU Pueblo are top 10 mainstays, the rest of the top 25 is like a tumultuous rollercoaster, with major ups and massive downs around every turn. This past week alone, eight unranked teams jumped into the top 25, while 12 more teams shifted at least two spots.
While you can predict with relative accuracy the final eight teams on an annual basis, the rest of DII men’s soccer is full of surprises — so much so, poll voters can seemingly hardly keep up. As teams get ready to jump into the depths of conference play, let’s take a look at some of the biggest surprises through the first month of the season.
5 surprising starts to the 2025 DII men's soccer season
Stanislaus State. The Warriors are easily the biggest surprise of the 2025 season thus far. Projected to finish eighth in the CCAA, Stanislaus State has jumped out to a 6-0 start with a win against then-nationally ranked Menlo. The Warriors have done it in dominating fashion, having allowed just two goals all season, and are currently on a run of four straight shutouts. They have the third-best goals-against average in DII, and keeper Angel Ruiz Hernandez is fifth in DII in goals against.
This is uncharted territory for the Warriors, who haven’t made the DII men’s soccer championship tournament in a decade. Over the past eight seasons, they haven’t finished higher than fourth in the CCAA and have averaged 5.1 wins a season. This team is loaded in talent: Hernandez recently earned CCAA defensive player of the week honors, Samuel Villanueva leads DII in assists with 1.40 per game and Gerardo Flores is tied for third with three game-winning goals. They open CCAA play this weekend against 2-3-1 Cal State East Bay, looking to match the best start in program history.
Lincoln (MO). The Blue Tigers joined the GLVC for the 2024 season, and when they did, they added three new programs, one of which was men’s soccer. They finished 5-6-5 last year in their inaugural season, which had them placed ninth in the GLVC 2025 preseason poll. So, yes, it is quite surprising to see them off to a 5-0-1 start and No. 12 in DII.
Part of the turnaround can be attributed to an explosive offense — one that scores 2.67 goals per game, which is eighth-most in DII. Hadri Lopez, Kevon Maitland and Nkouka Loubassou help bring the fire, combining for 10 of the team’s 16 goals. Defensively, they have allowed only six goals, giving them a top-15 scoring margin in the division. Lincoln is about to be tested with McKendree, UIndy and Maryville — all teams with winning records — lined up in three of the next four matches. We’re about to see how real the Blue Tigers' turnaround is.
Anderson (SC). The Trojans have been in a DII tournament drought, last making a DII men’s soccer championship appearance in 2018. Over the past three seasons, they have posted a 20-20-7 record. They were tabbed to finish sixth in the SAC preseason poll, but instead have opened the season amid a six-game unbeaten streak and have climbed to No. 4 in the division.
Anderson has an array of players that can score. Juan Jose Alvarez, Julian Caro Sepulveda, Jonas Zathofer and Leone Corzani each have multiple goals and have combined for 10 of the team’s 14 scores thus far. The Trojans are the only SAC school in the top 25 and can improve their stock with two winnable matches coming up this week.
Cedarville. The Yellow Jackets haven’t been to the DII men’s soccer championship since 2021 and have made just three appearances in program history. They won plenty a G-MAC conference tournament, but wins have not come easy the past couple seasons. Put it this way: Cedarville is eight matches into the 2025 season and has already matched its 2024 win total.
Cedarville jumped five spots in the most recent poll, landing at No. 10. The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish sixth in the G-MAC but already have a win over last year’s G-MAC champion Findlay. They also have big, tournament-resume building, top 25 wins over McKendree (a national semifinalist last year) and Lee. Michael Catanzarite is in the top 10 for goal scorers with six in eight matches, which is already his career high after missing 2024 in a redshirt season. Five of those goals are game winners, which is tops in DII. They are the only remaining unbeaten team in the G-MAC and are looking to stay that way against 0-2-2 Northwood on Saturday.
Nova Southeastern. The Sharks don’t have an illustrious history in the annals of DII men’s soccer. They have one, lone tournament appearance in 2021 and have won seven matches in each of the past three seasons. These Sharks, who are led by Matt McArthur in his first season as the official head coach (he was interim in 2024), are off to a 4-1 start and ranked No. 16 in DII.
The Sharks came out hot, taking down then-No. 5 Clayton State 2-0 on opening day. They were cruising through the first three matches until they ran into No. 1 Lynn, losing 4-2. However, even in a loss, the Sharks were impressive, being the only team to score multiple goals on the defending champs so far this season — and they even led at the half. The Sharks are tied for 12th in DII with 2.60 goals per game, and Santiago Hoyos Lopez is driving the offense, with four goals and four assists on the year. The SSC is stacked — there are five programs in the current top 25 — so every win matters.
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