Belhaven Leads 2026 CCS Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

Belhaven University has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2026 Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Women’s Soccer season, following its first conference championship last year. The Blazers received 33 points and four first-place votes from the conference’s seven head coaches, marking their first top spot in the CCS preseason poll.

Belhaven finished the 2025 season with a 14-5-3 record and a 6-1-1 mark in league play. The team outscored opponents 64-21 and recorded 13 shutouts across 22 matches. Its 64 goals led all CCS programs, and its average of 2.91 goals per game ranked second in the conference.

The Blazers return 15 players from last season’s championship squad and added 11 newcomers for the upcoming campaign. Leading the returnees is Alexis Whiting, who scored seven goals and totaled 14 points last year. She is the only returning player among Belhaven’s six All-CCS honorees from 2025. Other returning players include Kinsey Carter, Faith Dreyer, Alyssa Wilson, and Jensen Ward.

In goal, seniors Addi Roberts and Sidney Roest are back. Roberts made 58 saves and earned 10 wins in 2025, while Roest did not allow a goal in six appearances. Belhaven opens its 2026 season Tuesday against Centenary in Shreveport, Louisiana, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.

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