The boys’ soccer season has arrived.

A loaded group of high school teams across Durham, Orange and Chatham counties will begin their 2026 campaigns this week. Some squads have much to look forward to this season as many of last year’s standouts will return, and teams will look to build on deep playoff runs.

Here’s a rundown of the teams, players and matchups to look out for this fall.


Teams to watch

Woods Charter (1A, Central Tar Heel 1A conference)

Woods Charter made a drastic turn around in 2025 as it went from missing the playoffs the year prior to winning 14 games (most since 2016) and falling just short of a third round appearance. Standout junior defender and forward Campbell Blackburn (all-state in 2025) and sophomore EJ Eaglin will return as the Wolves look to build on last season’s success.


Excelsior Classical Academy (1A, Triangle North 1A/2A conference)

Excelsior Classical Academy was a couple goals away from a state title appearance last year. The Flying Lions graduated a strong senior class that included their top four scorers, leaving it up to a group of impactful underclassmen, who are now veterans, to keep the program in state championship contention.


Research Triangle (2A, Diamond Nine 1A/2A/3A conference)

Last year, Research Triangle’s young team made a deep run to the fourth round of the playoffs. The Raptors graduated last year’s leading scorer, but they’ll return plenty of underclassmen entering the fall with more experience, including all-state returners senior midfielder Matias Camacho and senior defender Dhruv Vivek.


Northwood (3A, Four Rivers 3A/4A conference)

Northwood flipped the script in 2025 as it went from five wins the year before to a 13-7-5 record. The Chargers were young last year with much of their offensive production coming from now sophomores Johnny Santiago and Ascary Arias. As much of last season’s roster returns, including all-region junior goalkeeper Calvin Britt and all-region senior defender Berkley Godehn, it’ll be interesting to see if the Chargers can take things a step further.


NCSSM-Durham (3A, Diamond Nine 1A/2A/3A conference)

Only the state champions could take down NCSSM in the playoffs last year. After a 20-2-2 campaign that met its end in the regional final, the Unicorns will return senior all-state midfielder Tudor Tegean and all-region senior striker Chris Hughes. It’ll be intriguing to see how impactful the Unicorns’ new junior class can be this season.


Jordan-Matthews (4A, Four Rivers 3A/4A conference)

Jordan-Matthews boasted a solid group of seniors last season, but it also relied on younger players en route to clinching a first round bye and falling to the state champions in the third round. Much of that group will return as juniors, including goalkeeper Emilio Rocha, midfielder Manuel Estrada and midfielder Enrique Granados.


Chapel Hill (7A, Tobacco Road 6A/7A conference)

Chapel Hill’s 2025 campaign ended in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Marvin Ridge in the state title game. The Tigers graduated their top scorer, but they’ll reload with plenty of contributors from last year. Chapel Hill will bring back junior all-region midfielder Harrison Boyle and senior all-region defender Eli Rawls. Forwards Cyrus Ahmed and Miles Tobolski (each scored eight goals in 2025) will also return to help the Tigers remain in state title contention.


Southern Durham (7A, Tobacco Road 6A/7A conference)

Southern Durham graduated a senior class full of all-state and all-region talent and will look to fill some key roles this season. The Spartans have sustained success this decade, and it’ll be interesting to see if coach Foster Kyei and his rising program can collect another conference title.


Durham Academy (NCISAA 4A, Triangle Independent Schools Athletic conference)

Coming off a another double-digit win season and a second round playoff exit, Durham Academy will be another team looking to replace a strong senior class. The Cavaliers have remained at the top of the conference in recent years and will try to keep it that way with key returners Jared Hernandez Cortes, Max Claar and Cole Moore.


Players to watch (school, class)

Campbell Blackburn (Woods Charter, junior)
EJ Eaglin (Woods Charter, sophomore)
Breylan Harris (Chatham Charter, junior)
Alex Lainez-Calix (Excelsior Classical Academy, senior)
Nathan Gomez (Excelsior Classical Academy, senior)
Jefri George Ardon (Excelsior Classical Academy, sophomore)
Elliot McMurray (Voyager Academy, senior)
Matias Camacho (Research Triangle, senior)
Dhruv Vivek (Research Triangle, senior)
Johnny Santiago (Northwood, sophomore)
Ascary Arias (Northwood, sophomore)
Calvin Britt (Northwood, junior)
Berkley Godehn (Northwood, senior)
Tudor Tegean (NCSSM-Durham, senior)
Chris Hughes (NCSSM-Durham, senior)
Emilio Rocha (Jordan-Matthews, junior)
Enrique Granados (Jordan-Matthews, junior)
Manuel Estrada (Jordan-Matthews, junior)
Manny Bastidas (Carrboro, senior)
Josue Sepulvedo Nazario (Carrboro, junior)
Jacob Wanderski (Seaforth, senior)
Collin Atkinson (Seaforth, junior)
Elijah Farrar (East Chapel Hill, senior)
Alex Reiter (East Chapel Hill, senior)
Harrison Boyle (Chapel Hill, junior)
Eli Rawls (Chapel Hill, senior)
Cyrus Ahmed (Chapel Hill, senior)
Miles Tobolski (Chapel Hill, junior)
Ollie Maurer-Cohen (Riverside, junior)
Anderzon Alvarado (Southern Durham, junior)
Benjamin Setser (Southern Durham, junior)
Aung Lah (Southern Durham, junior)
Tyshon Holliday (Southern Durham, senior)
Cole Moore (Durham Academy, senior)
Max Claar (Durham Academy, senior)
Jared Hernandez Cortes (Durham Academy, senior)


Key matchups

Chapel Hill at Carrboro (Aug. 18)
Durham Academy at East Chapel Hill (Aug. 20)
Woods Charter at Research Triangle (Aug. 31)
Jordan-Matthews at East Chapel Hill (Sept. 14)
Durham Academy at Chapel Hill (Sept. 15)
Chapel Hill vs. Southern Durham (at Chapel Hill on Sept. 24 and at Southern Durham on Oct. 13)
East Chapel Hill vs. Chapel Hill (at Chapel Hill on Sept. 29 and at East Chapel Hill on Oct. 15)
Southern Durham vs. East Chapel Hill (at Southern Durham on Oct. 8 and at East Chapel Hill on Oct. 27)
Northwood vs. Jordan-Matthews (at Jordan-Matthews on Sept. 30 and at Northwood on Oct. 19)
Jordan-Matthews vs. Southwestern Randolph (at Southwestern Randolph on Oct. 5 and at Jordan-Matthews on Oct. 21)
Northwood vs. Southwestern Randolph (at Northwood on Oct. 7 and at Southwestern Randolph on Oct. 26)
Research Triangle vs. NCSSM-Durham (at NCSSM on Sept. 23 and at Research Triangle on Oct. 26)
Carrboro at NCSSM-Durham (Oct. 22)