Coming off a season that saw the Dodge City men's soccer team achieve its highest NJCAA national ranking in school history (#11) with a 9-5-3 finish and third place in the KJCCC, the Conquistadors look primed to have a strong year on the pitch in 2026. 

Head Coach Juan Espinal is in his third season leading the Conqs and comes off a season last year that saw plenty of success. Coach Espinal has his team ranked #14 in the NJCAA preseason national rankings and ready to compete for a top spot in the KJCCC and NJCAA during the 2026 season. 

Twelve players return with experience for the Conqs, giving the team some experience across the field. While the team looks to replace the top three goal scorers from last season, three players do return after multi-goal seasons. Leading the charge for the Conqs is the return of first-team All-KJCCC player Keitu Mphomane, who looks primed for a strong sophomore season and looks to anchor the midfield for the Conqs. The defensive duo of Kanta Watanabe and Francesco Pennacchio are both back after earning second-team All-KJCCC honors last season. Mphomane played and started in all 17 games last season, recording three goals and one assist, while Pennacchio and Watanabe were staples on the back line, playing in 15 and 16 games respectively. 

More experience is also back defensively for the Conqs as Sota Kido, Dario Baudo, and Reuben Solomon all return after seeing action as freshmen. Kido played in 16 games last season, while Baudo and Solomon saw action in seven and six games each. Baudo also tallied a pair of goals. At the goalkeeper spot, both Rensho Ishikawa and Eduardo Solis return. Ishikawa started seven games last season, recording 39 saves, while Solis started a pair of games, tallying six saves. 

At the winger spot, Zade Douglas, Yushin Mizutani, and Tadiwanshe Nhau all return, playing in 16, nine, and 13 games respectively last season. Brian Hara returns at forward after a solid freshman season that saw him net three goals in 13 games, adding three assists. 

Conqs fill out the roster with 18 freshmen who all look to make an impact in several ways across the field at every position. 

The 2026 season opens at home against Northeastern Junior College on Friday, August 21^st at 5:00 pm and then it's a quick turnaround with a showdown against preseason #1 Indian Hills in a neutral site game in Baldwin City, Kansas, on Monday, August 24^th. After four more non-conference games, the Conqs will open KJCCC action on Saturday, September 12^th against Coffeyville at home. The schedule features six matchups against NJCAA Division I preseason Top 10 ranked teams with matches against #1 Indian Hills and #6 Iowa Western, along with two games against #3 Cowley and #7 Barton each.