Washington, D.C. – (August 10, 2026) – The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its preseason coaches' poll for the upcoming women's soccer season with the Fordham Rams picked to finish fourth.
Dayton, the defending Atlantic 10 champion, was picked as the preseason favorite with nine first place votes, followed by Saint Louis in second (three first place votes) and Rhode Island in third (one first place vote).
After making the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals for the first time since 2015 last season, Fordham was picked fourth in the preseason. Right behind the Rams are Loyola Chicago, Duquesne, VCU (one first place vote), and La Salle to round out the top eight. George Mason, Davidson, Saint Joseph's, Richmond, George Washington, and St. Bonaventure round out the remaining teams in the poll.
In addition to the preseason poll, the coaches also voted on the preseason All-Conference team, featuring 11 players. Among those 11 are Fordham's
Lena Johnsen and
Renata Mercedes, giving the Rams two preseason All-Conference selections for the second consecutive season.
A 2025 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, Johnsen makes the preseason All-Conference team for the second straight year. She was one of three Rams to start all 20 games for the Rams a year ago and finished second on the team in scoring with four goals and four assists for 12 points.
Mercedes was the Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Year in 2025 and a selection to the league's All-Rookie Team. She played in all 20 games as a freshman, starting 19, and was one of six Rams to reach double digit points with ten. In total, she registered three goals and four assists.
The Rams have their season opener on Thursday, August 13
th, at 14
th-ranked Georgetown, starting at 7:30 PM in Washington, D.C.
| 2026 Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Pts. (1st Place Votes) |
| 1. |
Dayton |
188 (9) |
| 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 |
2026 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 (GK)
Lauren MacDonald, Rhode Island
Blakely Hockett, Saint Louis
Camille Welker, Saint Louis
