Division III Soccer Daily Roundup – 18 August 2026
Published for D3Soccer.Fans – Your home for NCAA Division III men’s and women’s soccer news, rankings, recruiting, coaching moves, and schedules.
Preseason continues across the country as teams report for camp and final schedule details firm up. Here’s everything fresh for the current day (with no repeats from prior roundups), plus the standing national rankings, board activity, a scan of athletics sites from the prior day, one non-D3 item that caught our eye, and a video recommendation.
United Soccer Coaches / NCAA DIII Top 10 Rankings (Preseason Poll – August 4, 2026)
These remain the most recent national rankings (final 2025 records shown). No new weekly polls have been issued yet as the regular season has not begun.
- Tufts University (20-1-3)
- Trinity University (Texas) (20-2-1)
- St. Olaf College (20-3-3)
- Emory University (17-2-3)
- Bowdoin College (12-4-4)
- Dickinson College (16-1-7)
- Wheaton College (Mass.) (17-2-4)
- Augsburg University (18-3-3)
- Connecticut College (12-3-6)
- Williams College (10-5-4)
- Washington University (Mo.) (21-0-3)
- Emory University (21-2-1)
- University of Chicago (16-2-4)
- Tufts University (18-2-3)
- Messiah University (22-3-0)
- Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (16-1-5)
- Washington & Lee University (18-2-3)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (22-3-1)
- Middlebury College (13-4-3)
- Williams College (13-2-5)
Articles & News Published Today (August 18, 2026) – DIII Men’s & Women’s Soccer Only
Player Commitments / Recruiting Classes (Men’s focus)
- Skidmore men’s soccer welcomes incoming recruiting class
- Head coach Brad Campion announced a 12-player class of 2026. The group includes goalkeeper Dante Fierro (Farmington, CT – high-level club and Hartford Athletic training), defender Jacob Towvim (Needham, MA – Valeo SC MLS NEXT), midfielders Nathan Gritzmacher, Landon van Buren, Karim Valdés-Habib and others, plus attackers Keegan Maxwell and Keane Murphy. The full squad reports for preseason today. Strong regional talent with MLS NEXT and ECNL backgrounds. Link
Schedule / Preseason Notes & Rankings Mentions (Women’s focus)
- Emerson women’s soccer was selected No. 4 in the NEWMAC preseason coaches poll. The Lions open the 2026 season vs. Keene State on Sept. 1 at Rotch Field. (Announcement via athletics/X accounts today.)
No other brand-new full articles on coaching changes or major schedule drops were identified as published strictly today beyond the above and ongoing schedule pages (e.g., Augsburg men’s full 2026 slate already circulating).
Grouped Quick Hits
- Men’s focus: Skidmore recruiting class announcement (today); ongoing schedule releases (Augsburg and others).
- Women’s focus: Emerson NEWMAC preseason poll ranking (today); Augsburg camp notes under new leadership.
- Coaching changes: None brand-new for today or Aug. 17 (prior Mendez hire at Augsburg remains the most recent notable move).
- Schedule announcements: Continued confirmation of full 2026 slates with September openers.
- Player commitments: Skidmore’s 12-player class is the clear highlight of the day.
One Interesting Non-D3 Soccer Piece
USMNT center back Mark McKenzie is set to return to the Philadelphia Union. The club will pay around $2.5 million to bring the 27-year-old back from French side Toulouse (he will finish the first half of the 2026-27 season in Ligue 1 before the MLS move). McKenzie came through the Union academy before earlier European stops. A solid homecoming story amid the busy transfer window.
Video Recommendation
While scrolling through the SimpleCoachTV channel I came across an older interview that still holds up really well: “Injured Time – A SimpleCoach to Coach Interview w/ Matt Poland, Head Coach @FC Naples.” Published roughly three months ago (well beyond the two-month mark), it covers Poland’s path from playing in Rochester, Minnesota, through professional stops in Finland and Sweden, a career-ending injury, and his work building culture and defensive structure at the USL League One club. Thoughtful conversation on identity, effort, and the challenges of a new professional side. Worth a watch if you haven’t seen it. Watch here
That’s the roundup for August 18. Preseason is heating up—check back tomorrow for the next batch of camp notes, commitments, and schedule updates. Follow along at D3Soccer.Fans.