Volume II | Issue I
The 2026 season is underway as 197 women’s soccer teams across 19 NAIA conferences begin to battle it out to be one of the 40 teams to hear their name called on selection day.
Women’s soccer offensive and defensive players of the week will be announced on Tuesday, September 1 and be released each Tuesday throughout the season.
The coaches’ top 25 preseason poll was released last week and it featured the Seahawks of Keiser (Fla.) in the top spot. As one of the top programs in the NAIA, this is just the second time since 1999 that Keiser begins a new campaign as the preseason No. 1.
From winning a national title in 2025 to defending it in 2026. All eyes are on the Seahawks this year as they look to repeat and take yet another Red Banner back to the beach in West Palm Beach, Fla. Keiser will be looking at some different student-athletes to step up this season as KU lost three NAIA All-Americans in Lauren Riley (2025 NAIA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year), Georgia Little, and Maria Vilhena. While those are three big positions to fill, the Seahawks still have plenty of talent returning with Emilia Nilsson, and Steingerður Snorradóttir who were selected as Sun Conference First-Team All-Conference members last season. Then holding things down and directing traffic from between the posts will remain a familiar face in Mio Tanaka.
As for new faces on this year’s squad, Coach Adams is excited about the incoming freshman and transfers joining the program. Check out more on the preseason No. 1 Seahawks in both the Sun Conference and nationally on kuseahawks.com courtesy of the Keiser Athletics Communications Staff.
We are also bringing back featured matches to watch. These matches will feature anything from top 25 matchups, to rival games, and come later in the season, games that could determine who receives an automatic bid into the 2026 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship.
We have some high caliber top 25 matches right out of the gate this year as teams travel around the nation in non conference action. We kick off the featured match slate this season with Southeastern coming to the Midwest for a bout with No. 15 MNU, then our first top 10 match up of the season with No. 8 TMU visiting the No. 2 ranked Patriots in Williamsburg, Ky. The Drovers of USAO take the pitch twice in Indiana against IWU and Marian, before things get heated in Indy when No. 2 visits No. 5 Marian for our first battle between two programs ranked within the top five.
Wednesday, August 26 at 11 a.m. CT
Thursday, August 27 at 1 p.m. ET
Thursday, August 27 at 6 p.m. ET
Thursday, August 27, 5:30 p.m. PT
Saturday, August 29, 10 a.m. ET
Tuesday, September 1, 7 p.m. ET
The NAIA Football season has reached Week 9 and the close of the month of October, with three featured games and six more to watch, plus notes, stats, standings and scores from around the NAIA in the Halloween edition of the NAIA Football Notebook. Click here to download the PDF version of this week’s notebook. […]
For four former NAIA men’s soccer student-athletes, the path to professional soccer has continued with Fort Wayne Football Club. Their journeys reflect a connection between the NAIA and the professional game, one that Keelan Barker understands firsthand. A former head coach at the NAIA level, Barker now works as an assistant coach with Fort Wayne […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2026 NAIA Women’s Basketball season is officially underway! Check out the Top 25 results from the opening weekend below along with what big games are coming up in the next few weeks. The Battle for the Red Banner has begun! *Click the grey bars below to reveal additional information PRESTOSPORTS […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced today two changes to their leadership team. Vice President of Membership Value and Governance Chesney Sallee has been named Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance & Sport Administration Kevin Dee will serve as the Chief Financial Officer. Sallee began her career […]