Newtown, Pa. (Women's Soccer) - The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth coaches have released their preseason poll ahead of the 2026 women's soccer season, and defending conference champion Messiah is the overwhelming favorite to repeat.
Messiah claimed eight of the nine possible first-place votes and totaled 64 points to top the preseason poll. The Falcons enter the season as the team to beat after going a perfect 7-0 in conference play a year ago en route to a 22-3 overall record and the 2025 MAC Commonwealth title.
York was picked second with 57 points, followed by Stevenson in third with 49 points. Both programs reached the 2025 conference tournament alongside Messiah and Eastern, and each returns to the preseason poll in position to challenge for the top spot.
Eastern rounds out the top four with 42 points, with Widener just behind in fifth at 41 points.
Hood (22 points), Alvernia (20 points) and Neumann (16 points) were picked sixth through eighth, with Albright rounding out the poll in ninth with 13 points.
2026 MAC Commonwealth Season Preview
Messiah returns as the standard-bearer of the league, and the coaches' poll reflects just how clear that gap looks heading into the fall. The Falcons went a perfect 7-0 in conference play in 2025, capped their seventh-straight MAC Commonwealth title with a 4-0 win over Stevenson in the championship match, and punched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Messiah placed six players on the 2025 All-MAC Commonwealth teams, headlined by senior defender Tahlia Lloyd, the reigning MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year and a USC Second Team All-American. Junior midfielder Mia Libby and junior forward Addi Martin, who scored in the championship match, both return after earning First and Second Team honors, respectively, giving the Falcons a proven core to build around even as First Team standouts Hannah Adair and Bailie Dull depart.
York and Stevenson enter as the closest challengers, separated by just eight points in the poll. York returns the reigning MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year in junior forward Meg Kalthof, who headlines a group that also includes First Team sophomore defender Mackenzie Hanley and Second Team junior midfielder Carissa Baugus and sophomore goalkeeper Joss Metz. Stevenson, which reached the 2025 championship match, brings back Second Team junior midfielder Madison Rytina and junior defender Colleen Fanning, along with 2025 MAC Commonwealth Rookie of the Year Isabella Serano in goal — a group coaches clearly believe can push the Mustangs even higher this fall.
Eastern and Widener headline the group looking to crack the top of the standings. Eastern loses First Team midfielder Paige Snell and Second Team forward Emma Bennett to graduation, but returns First Team junior defender Tia Argento to anchor a backline that helped the Eagles go 3-2-2 in conference a year ago. Widener's own First Team goalkeeper, first-year standout Araba Abanyie, and Second Team midfielder Charlotte Burke give the Pride a foundation to climb from their fifth-place preseason ranking into the postseason mix.
Further down, Hood, Alvernia, Neumann and Albright could be in the hunt for that fifth and final tournament spot. Alvernia returns Second Team midfielder Abby Stair, while Albright brings back Second Team midfielder Daiveni Fisher — both first-year All-Conference honorees a season ago who now enter 2026 with a full year of experience. With the new play-in format putting extra weight on the four and five seeds, every result down the stretch could carry postseason implications for this group.
2025 MAC Commonwealth Championship Notes
Messiah entered the 2025 MAC Commonwealth Tournament as the No. 1 seed after a perfect 7-0 run through conference play and carried that momentum to the program's conference title, closing the year 22-3 overall — the best record in the league by a wide margin. Stevenson (9-6-5) and York (13-5-2) rounded out the top three seeds and both reached the postseason field, while Eastern (9-5-5) claimed the four seed. Messiah's title run continued a stretch of dominance atop the MAC Commonwealth standings and sets up the Falcons as the clear team to beat heading into 2026.
2026 MAC Commonwealth Season Schedule
- Season opener: September 1, 2026
- Conference play begins: October 3, 2026
- Postseason format: The top five teams in the MAC Commonwealth standings will qualify for the conference tournament
- Play-in game (No. 4 vs. No. 5): November 2, 2026
- Semifinals: November 4, 2026
- Championship: November 7, 2026