UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the 2026 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll ahead of the start of the upcoming season.
The Saginaw Valley State University women's soccer program was picked second in the poll, earning 71 points and one first-place vote. Grand Valley State was selected to win the conference with 81 points and the remaining nine first-place votes. Ferris State follows in third with 60 points, while Parkside is fourth with 57 and Northern Michigan rounds out the top five with 48. Davenport (39), Wayne State (37), Purdue Northwest (27), Roosevelt (17), and Michigan Tech (13) complete the poll.
The Cardinals are coming off a 13-6-2 campaign in 2025, including a 9-4-1 mark in GLIAC play. SVSU fell in the GLIAC Championship to Grand Valley State and look to make it back to the finals for the third year in a row.
SVSU returns an experienced group from last year's championship team. Emily Kolodin (Grand Blanc, Mich., Grand Blanc HS) returns after a strong first season at Saginaw Valley, finishing with three goals and a team-high eight assists for 14 points. The Cardinals also bring back experience throughout the midfield and back line. Seniors Peyton Kennedy (Saginaw, Mich., Heritage HS), Ryleigh Gray (Belle River, Ontario, E.J. Lajeunesse), and Morgan Bogacki (Livonia, MI, Livonia Stevenson HS) headline the veteran group, while juniors Jaidyn Veldhouse (Grandville, Mich., Calvin Christian HS), Emma Bradley (Clarkston, Mich., Clarkston HS), Ruby Grundner (Belle River, Ontario, Tecumseh Vista Academy), Kylie Cesarek (Macomb, Mich., Dakota HS), and Ava Kelley (Romeo, Mich., Romeo HS).
Head coach Tyler Channell enters his fifth season at the helm of the program. Channell has guided the Cardinals to the GLIAC Tournament in each of his first four seasons reaching the semifinals in year one along with the back-to-back finals runs.
Saginaw Valley welcomes 12 newcomers to the roster, including 10 freshmen and two transfers. Redshirt-senior goalkeeper Ava Wilberding (Grand Rapids, Mich., Forest Hills Central HS) joins the Cardinals after spending her previous three seasons at Western Michigan, while sophomore midfielder Alahna Beckett (Midland, Mich., Midland HS) arrives from Delta College after helping the Pioneers capture the 2025 NJCAA Division III National Championship.
The 10-member freshman class features goalkeeper Monroe Wilde (Muskegon, Mich., Ravenna HS), forward Melanie Kolnitys (Midland, Mich., H. H. Dow HS), defenders Cessaly Fichtner (Freeland, Mich., Freeland HS), Grace Battershell (Rochester Hills, Mich., Adams HS), Lydia Zajchowski (Ann Arbor, Mich., Saline HS), and Dezarae Mathis (Hastings, Mich., Hastings HS), midfielders Romina McGuire (Rochester Hills, Mich., Rochester HS), Sophia Swope (Saginaw, Mich., Heritage HS), and AvaLee Pomper (Richmond, Mich., Memphis Junior/Senior HS), and forward Savanah Thompson (Howard City, Mich., Tri County HS).
The Cardinals open the 2026 campaign at home against McKendree on Thursday, August 27 at 11:00 AM from Robert C. Braddock Field. SVSU travels to rival Northwood three days later before returning home for non-conference matches against Walsh on Friday, September 4 and Findlay on Sunday, September 6.
GLIAC play begins with a trip to the Upper Peninsula to face Michigan Tech on Friday, September 11 and Northern Michigan on Sunday, September 13. Following a road match at Davenport, the Cardinals host Grand Valley State on Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM.
In total, Saginaw Valley will host 10 matches at Robert C. Braddock Field during the regular season. The Cardinals conclude their home schedule against Purdue Northwest on Thursday, October 29 at 1:00 PM before closing the regular season on the road against Roosevelt on Saturday, October 31.
