ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Webster University women's soccer team has been selected to finish third in the 2026 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason poll, the conference announced Wednesday.
The Gorloks received 52 points and one first-place vote in the poll, finishing eight points behind behind Spalding University (60, six first-place votes), and four points behind Greenville University (56, two first-place votes).
Webster enters the 2026 season after posting a 14-5 overall record and a 6-2 mark in SLIAC play a season ago. The Gorloks advanced to the 2025 SLIAC Tournament semifinals after defeating Lyon College before falling to eventual conference champion Spalding University.
Head coach Luigi Scire returns an experienced group in 2026, including four players who earned All-SLIAC honors last season. First Team selections Mia Smith and Malaya Blakely headline the returning group after combining for 17 goals and 20 assists last season.
Smith finished the season with nine goals and 10 assists for 28 points, while Blakely added eight goals and 10 assists for 26 points. Junior forward Lucy Elfrink also returns after scoring seven goals and recording four assists in 18 appearances.
Third Team All-SLIAC selections Riley Cappozzo and Jasmine Hubbard also return for the Gorloks. Cappozzo scored one goal and recorded three assists while starting 18 matches in the midfield, while Hubbard started all 17 matches she appeared in as a key part of Webster's defensive unit.
Webster also returns Elliana Seiter, Sofia Bosnos, Carmen Williams, Taylor Davis, Isabelle Schumacher, Kira Konigsfeld-Mawer, Sabrina Stransky and Madison Cox, along with goalkeepers Leia Adkins and Kayla Jantzen.
Luigi Scire and his staff welcome nine newcomers to the program in 2026, including freshmen Yasmine Zaharin, Kylee Regan, Emily O'Reagan, Sydney Oliver, Riley Ballenger, Olivia Kouray, Isla Montgomery and Tegan Barnett, as well as junior transfer Ellie Fiala, who joins Webster after playing at Jefferson College.
Webster opens the 2026 season on Tuesday, Sept. 1, when it travels to Clarksville, Arkansas, to take on the University of the Ozarks. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
