‘There’s going to be a lot of upsets this year’: ETSU men’s soccer embraces underdog mentality

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — ETSU men's soccer is embracing the role of the underdog as the Buccaneers prepare for their third season under head coach Allen Vital. The Bucs are coming off a 2-9-4 campaign in 2025 and enter the new season with several new faces as they look to climb back toward the top of the Southern Conference. The team was picked to finish sixth in the SoCon preseason poll, just six points ahead of consensus seventh-place team VMI. Several ETSU players gained valuable experience over the summer as members of Bristol Rhythm AFC, which made a deep run in the National Premier Soccer League playoffs before finishing runner-up in the NPSL National Championship game. Now, the Bucs are hoping to carry that experience into the college season and use outside expectations as motivation. "It's the story of the underdog, isn't it?" junior defender Hugo Martinez said. "Everybody's looking at us like an easy team to beat. So, I think it's going to be a lot of upsets this year." Junior goalkeeper Noé Delmotte said belief has become a key message inside the ETSU locker room. "The word we said in the locker room is 'believe.' It's the most important thing. We have to believe in ourselves and believe we can win." Demotte said. "I don't think we're the favorite, but that's all part of the underdog. I think we can win good games. We have a very good schedule, and we're ready to compete." For Vital, the goal is to return ETSU to the level the program has reached in the past and put the Bucs back in position to contend for a postseason run. "The biggest goal for us is to get ourselves back into the top-ranking teams in our league and then get a shot at the tournament that gets you to the national tournament," Vital said. "Our program is accustomed to that, so we want to try to get ourselves back to that level." ETSU opens the 2026 season Thursday on the road against Queens. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.