DeLAND, Fla. — Fresh off its first victory of the 2026 season, Stetson men's soccer returns to the Athletic Training Center Tuesday night when the Hatters welcome Presbyterian for the third match of their season-long five-game homestand.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with the match streaming live.

Stetson enters Tuesday at 1-4-1 overall and 1-1 in ASUN play after breaking through with a 2-0 victory over West Florida on Saturday. Afonso Conde and Matthew Perez supplied the goals while Murillo Mello and the Hatter defense secured the first clean sheet of the season.

After generating opportunities throughout the opening weeks of the season, the Hatters finally saw the pressure turn into production Saturday night.

Stetson scored once in each half and controlled the attack in a 2-0 victory over West Florida, finishing with a 15-6 advantage in shots and putting eight attempts on goal.

The win was Stetson's first of the season and also marked its first clean sheet. It came after the Hatters had been on the wrong end of consecutive 1-0 decisions against Bellarmine and Georgia Southern despite outshooting both opponents. Afonso Conde's goal also marked Stetson's first first-half goal of the season.

Stetson has now outshot its opponent in four consecutive matches, producing a combined 54 attempts while allowing just 32 during that stretch.

Stetson's attacking numbers have remained strong despite the early results.

The Hatters have attempted 70 shots through six matches while allowing 55, an average of 11.7 attempts per game compared to 9.2 for their opponents. Stetson also owns a 31-22 advantage in corner kicks.

The attack has become even more active after halftime. Forty-one of Stetson's 70 attempts have come in the second half, while three of the Hatters' four goals have also been scored after the break.

Saturday represented the biggest step forward in efficiency. Stetson put eight of its 15 attempts on target against West Florida after totaling 10 shots on goal through the opening five matches.

Freshman Matthew Perez entered the weekend still searching for his first collegiate point. He left Saturday as Stetson's leader in scoring.

Perez played a role in both goals against West Florida, recording a goal and an assist for the first three points of his collegiate career.

The Boca Raton native finished with three shots and put two on frame. Combined with his three attempts against Georgia Southern, Perez has produced six shots over Stetson's last two matches.

Despite appearing in only four games, Perez is tied with Valentin Fontaine for the team lead with nine shots. His three points also lead the Hatters.

Afonso Conde provided the breakthrough Saturday and reached a career milestone in the process.

The senior midfielder opened the scoring against West Florida with his first goal of the season and the 10th of his collegiate career. The strike ultimately stood as the game winner.

Conde was active throughout the night, leading all Hatters with five shots and putting three on goal.

The Lisbon, Portugal native has appeared in all six matches this season and joins Perez, William Mills and Mauricio Restrepo as Stetson's four goal scorers.

Murillo Mello followed a clutch performance against Georgia Southern with his first collegiate shutout Saturday.

The freshman goalkeeper played all 180 minutes during Stetson's two-match week and surrendered just one goal.

Mello kept the Georgia Southern match scoreless with a penalty-kick save late in the first half before allowing just one goal in the 1-0 setback. Four days later, he turned away both West Florida shots on goal as Stetson completed the 2-0 clean sheet.

The Orlando native has started each of Stetson's last two matches and owns a 1.20 goals-against average through 225 minutes this season.

Saturday's victory also put Stetson into the win column in ASUN play.

The Hatters enter the week with three conference points and a 1-1 league record. North Florida sits atop the early standings with six points at 2-0, while Bellarmine and Central Arkansas have each won their conference opener.

Stetson is part of a three-team group on three points alongside Lipscomb and West Florida.

The Hatters have scored two goals and allowed just one through their opening two ASUN matches.

Tuesday marks the middle contest of Stetson's season-long five-match homestand.

The stretch began against Georgia Southern before the Hatters responded with Saturday's victory over West Florida. Presbyterian comes next, followed by Queens on Sept. 19 and UCF on Sept. 22.

After Tuesday, the Hatters will have just two matches remaining in DeLand before returning to the road Sept. 26 at North Florida.

Presbyterian enters Tuesday searching for its first victory of 2026 after opening the season 0-5.

The Blue Hose began the year with a 1-0 loss to Ferrum before playing three consecutive road matches at VMI, UMBC and Navy. Presbyterian returned home Sept. 5 and fell 3-0 to Georgia State.

Tuesday will be Presbyterian's fourth road contest of the season and its final tune-up before beginning Big South play Saturday against USC Upstate.

Presbyterian has scored twice through five matches while allowing 15 goals. The Blue Hose have attempted 38 shots and put 18 on target, while opponents have generated 90 shots and 37 attempts on goal.

The Blue Hose also enter Tuesday with a 35-15 deficit in corner kicks.

Mo Alahmad has been Presbyterian's most productive attacking player through the opening five matches.

Alahmad leads the Blue Hose with three points on one goal and one assist. He also leads the team with six shots and has put three attempts on target.

Alahmad scored Presbyterian's first goal of the season in a 3-1 loss at VMI before setting up Gabe Carvalho's goal four days later at UMBC.

Carvalho owns Presbyterian's other goal, while Aiden Burke has contributed the team's other assist.

Senior forward Kenshin Akimoto is another player to watch. The Radford transfer earned Honorable Mention All-Big South honors in 2025 after leading the Highlanders with six goals and 14 points.

Presbyterian entered the season with a significantly reshaped roster under head coach Nick Finotti.

The Blue Hose welcomed 20 newcomers ahead of the 2026 campaign, a group that included transfers and freshmen from across the country and internationally.

Akimoto headlines the transfer group following his All-Big South season at Radford, while the newcomers have quickly found roles throughout the Presbyterian lineup.

Despite the turnover, several Blue Hose players have been fixtures early. Carvalho has started all five matches, while Alahmad, AJ Acree, Gabriel Leslie, Ali Merghemi and Sebastian Restrepo have each appeared in all five.

Saed Anabtawi has handled the majority of Presbyterian's work in goal.

Anabtawi has started four of five matches and recorded 18 saves across 360 minutes. He owns a .643 save percentage while facing 61 shots.

Beatty Murray made the other start, recording four saves. Together, Presbyterian's goalkeepers have collected 22 saves through five matches, tied to the heavy pressure the Blue Hose have faced early in the season.

Stetson and Presbyterian met in DeLand last season, with the Hatters earning a 3-0 victory at the Athletic Training Center.

Stetson scored once before halftime and twice in the second half while finishing with a 15-4 advantage in shots.

Andres Freire scored twice in the victory, while current Hatter Maurice Hauser also found the back of the net. Daniel Makowem and Weston DeSoto each recorded an assist.

The Hatter defense limited Presbyterian to just one shot on goal during the 90 minutes.

Tuesday night's match will kick off at 7 p.m. from the Athletic Training Center in DeLand. The match will stream live on, with live statistics available through the men's soccer schedule page at GoHatters.com.

Admission to Stetson men's soccer home matches is free.

For the latest news and updates on Stetson men's soccer, visit GoHatters.com and follow @StetsonMSoc and @StetsonHatters on social media for additional content throughout the 2026 season.