WASHINGTON – After securing their first A10 Championship crown since 2016, the Dayton Flyers will look to defend their title as the league’s preseason favorite entering the 2026 campaign. The league released the Under Armour Preseason Women’s Soccer Poll on Monday, as well as the 11-player Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
The A10 Preseason Poll and Preseason All-Conference Team are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Dayton returns five starters from the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship squad, including reigning A10 Midfielder of the Year Liv Grenda. The 2025 Flyers finished the season with a 15-4-3 overall record, including a perfect 10-0 mark in league play, sweeping the A10 regular season and tournament titles.
 
Dayton landed four student-athletes on the Preseason All-Conference Team – Grenda, Lauryn Contini, Bre Mendoza, and Laney Smith – the most of any school. Smith led the Flyers with 17 points last year, scoring six goals and dishing five assists, while Contini added three goals and three assists.  Mendoza anchored a back line that registered 15 shutouts in 2025, allowing just 12 goals across the entire season.
 
The Flyers topped the preseason poll with 188 points and nine first-place votes, marking the first time since 2017 that Saint Louis has not entered the fall as the preseason favorite. The Billikens ranked second in the poll with 182 points, collecting three first-place votes.
 
Saint Louis welcomes back eight starters and six additional players from their 2025 team that posted a 14-4-2 overall record. The Billikens placed two student-athletes on the Preseason All-Conference Team: sophomore Blakely Hockett and graduate student Camille Welker. Both players served as key contributors to Saint Louis’ staunch defense last year, allowing just 18 goals across 20 games.
 
Coming off the program’s first appearance in the A10 Championship final of the last 20 years, Rhode Island enters the 2026 season ranked No. 3 in the preseason poll with 164 points, including one first-place vote. Finishing 13-5-3 last year with a 5-3-2 record in conference play, Rhode Island upset No. 2 seed Saint Louis in the semifinals of the A10 Women’s Soccer Tournament, snapping the Billikens’ seven-year reign atop the league.
 
Two Rams earned selections to the Preseason All-Conference Team: seniors Dani Eden and Lauren MacDonald. Eden ranked second amongst all A10 goalkeepers last year with 11 total shutouts, allowing just 16 goals across 21 games. She recorded 75 saves for a stop percentage of .824. MacDonald led Rhode Island’s offensive output, scoring 10 goals last year. She averaged 2.000 shots on goal per game, finding the back of the net twice in the Rams’ semifinal win over Saint Louis.
 
Fordham placed fourth in the preseason poll with 135 points, sending two student-athletes to the Preseason All-Conference Team: senior Lena Johnsen and sophomore Renata Mercedes. Johnsen helped pace the Rams offensively, scoring four goals and dishing four assists in 2025. Mercedes was named A10 Women’s Soccer Co-Rookie of the Year alongside Saint Louis’ Caroline Chier, recording three goals and four assists in her debut campaign.
 
Loyola Chicago, which enters the season ranked fifth in the preseason poll with 133 points, welcomes 10 newcomers to the 2026 roster. Ramblers senior Zoe Hevey earned a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Team, leading the team with 16 points on five goals and six assists last year.
 
Duquesne looks to build off a 12-5-2 2025 season (7-3 A10), ranking sixth in the preseason poll with 130 points, while VCU ranks seventh with 111 points and one first-place vote. La Salle (92) placed eighth, followed by George Mason (90), Davidson (71), and Saint Joseph’s (64). Richmond (55), George Washington (41), and St. Bonaventure (14) rounded out the list.
 
2026 Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
Lauryn Contini, Dayton
Liv Grenda, Dayton
Bre Mendoza, Dayton
Laney Smith, Dayton
Lena Johnsen, Fordham
Renata Mercedes, Fordham
Zoe Hevey, Loyola Chicago
Dani Eden, Rhode Island 
Lauren MacDonald, Rhode Island
Blakely Hockett, Saint Louis
Camille Welker, Saint Louis
 
2026 Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
(First Place Votes in Parenthesis)
1. Dayton - 188
2. Saint Louis - 182 (3)
3. Rhode Island - 164 (1)
4. Fordham - 135
5. Loyola Chicago - 133
6. Duquesne - 130
7. VCU - 111 (1)
8. La Salle - 92
9. George Mason - 90
10. Davidson - 71
11. Saint Joseph's - 64
12. Richmond - 55
13. George Washington - 41
14. St. Bonaventure - 14