DeForest boys soccer prepares for 2026 campaign

DeForest's boys soccer team entered the 2026 season after three successful years in the Badger-Large Conference and beyond.

In 2023, 2024 and 2025, DeForest spearheaded three deep postseason runs — each of which ended at state.

The previous season, DeForest's quest for a gold ball fell just short, losing in the 2025 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 2 state championship game to Whitefish Bay 3-1. They finished with an 18-2-4 overall record. They didn’t lose a game against conference competition.

Heading into the 2026 season, expectations for DeForest haven’t changed, even if circumstances around them have.

This year, DeForest moves from Division 2 to Division 1, the WIAA reported. DeForest is slotted into loaded Sectional No. 3, which features defending D1 state champion Madison West, 2024 state champion Middleton, among others.

Returning players and outlook

Captain Carter Lovick isn’t going to let that get in the way of their quest for a gold ball.

“Expectations are going to be high”, Lovick, a junior midfielder, said. “We made state three years in a row, but we’re D1 now, so it’s harder competition. But that’s going to be the expectation, and we hope to exceed that expectation.”

With the move to Division 1, DeForest's 2026 schedule will, naturally, feature plenty of Division 1 foes.

In short, it’s nothing new for DeForest.

“These last couple of years, our schedule’s full of D1 teams,” captain Landon Adams, a senior forward/midfielder, said. “I think we’re just very used to the competition. I think it would be great for us to make another run again.”

DeForest’s start to the season reflects that. They kick off their 2026 campaign in a non-conference matchup against Homestead in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Aug. 25. A pair of matchups against Madison La Follette and Madison Memorial will follow this.

Captain and senior midfielder Brad Powers believes their challenging slate to start the season can help prepare his team for what they hope to see come a chilly day in November at state.

“I think it’s just good to get that competition right away earlier in the season,” Powers said. “So then, when it gets later in the postseason, then we already have the experience that we need.”

Senior midfielder Brad Powers scored six goals to go alongside five assists, totaling 17 points, the previous season. He believes DeForest's challenging slate to open the season will prove to beneficial for his team down the road.

Along with moving to Division 1, DeForest will also have a new, albeit familiar, face roaming the sidelines this year.

Josh Howard has taken over as coach for DeForest. Howard, who also serves as the head girls’ soccer coach, was previously an assistant on the boys’ team. He replaces former coach Matthew Scharpf.