Volume II | Issue VI
The 2026 NAIA Women’s Soccer regular season is behind us and now it’s win or go home as conference tournaments are in full swing. Some teams look to continue playing at the level they have all season, while others are looking to make some noise.
We had two more auto bids into the national tournament punched with Clarke (Iowa) from the Heart of America and Hastings (Neb.) from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Both teams will begin their respective conference tournaments as the No. 1 seed.
The final NAIA Women’s Soccer national offensive and defensive players of the week were released earlier this week capped off with stellar performances from Sara Aguirre of William Carey (Miss.) and Izzy Martinez of Brenau (Ga.). Check out more on each honor below!
Sara Aguirre of William Carey (Miss.) claims the final PrestoSports-NAIA Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors for the 2026 season after contributing to 11 goals across two home matches last week.
Izzy Martinez of Brenau (Ga.) recorded two shutouts last week, including one in a victory that secured her team’s place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament.
Conference tournaments are in full swing now and it’s that time of year where you should be playing your best soccer across the pitch. Putting away shots in the offensive third of the field, controlling the middle third, and having an all hands on deck mentality in the defensive third. While some teams have already punched a ticket into the national tournament field by way of regular season champions for those that play in a conference of 12 or more teams, others have to win their conference tournament in order to get that automatic bid.
Automatic bids already claimed
All of the teams above secured an auto bid from their conference by winning their conference’s regular season outright or via their conferences tie breaker procedures.
With national tournament action under two weeks away for the first and second rounds, action in Decatur, Ala. for the final 16 teams is just under four weeks away. it’s time to start preparing for the matches at Jack Allen Sports Complex.
Check out the Women’s Soccer Championship central page for tickets, schedule, visitors information, how watch, and even the bracket. As more information is set and becomes available this page will be updated throughout the championship. But in the meantime, be sure to purchase your tickets ahead of time by clicking the graphic below so when you arrive to Jack Allen Sports Complex in Decatur, Ala. you are able to reach the stands quicker and cheer on your favorite teams and student-athletes!
Before we reach Decatur, we need to find out who will be competing in this years national championship. Teams will find out if they are in next week on Friday, November 13 at 5 p.m. CT on the NAIA’s YouTube page!
We also have game times through the championship match in Decatur. All matches will be broadcasted for free on the NAIA Network from opening kick on November 30 through the championship game and awards ceremony on December 7. Be sure to create your free NAIA Network account before the action gets going so you don’t miss a minute of competition.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Izzy Martinez of Brenau (Ga.) recorded two shutouts last week, including one in a victory that secured her team’s place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament. The freshman goalkeeper closes out the regular season by earning PrestoSports-NAIA Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors. The native of McDonough, Ga., […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sara Aguirre of William Carey (Miss.) claims the final PrestoSports-NAIA Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors for the 2026 season after contributing to 11 goals across two home matches last week. The junior forward scored three goals and added four assists across the two contests. The Villavicencio, Colombia, native […]
KASNAS CITY, Mo. – The final STADIONIC-NAIA Women’s Soccer National Selection Committee (NSC) Top 25 Poll didn’t see any change at the top with Keiser (Fla.), Grace (Ind.), and Indiana Wesleyan holding steady at No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 as conference tournament action gets set to begin. Only two other teams held steady […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The sophomore Roadrunner Maggie Rickerd posted back-to-back clean sheets last week, which included a shutout against the second best offensive team in the country scoreless. Rickerd’s two clean sheets earned her Prestosports-NAIA Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for October 27. A native of Chattanooga, Tenn, Rickerd put on a […]