PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Plymouth State University women's soccer team will enter the 2026 season hoping to exceed expectations after being picked to finish ninth in the Little East Conference (LEC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Monday.
 
Defending regular-season champion Eastern Connecticut was selected as the preseason favorite, securing six first-place votes for 61 points. Southern Maine, which won the LEC Tournament a year ago, was second with 52 points and one first-place vote, just one point ahead of WestConn, which also earned a first-place vote.
 
Keene State is fourth with 40 points, while Rhode Island College gained the final first-place vote to sit fifth with 36 points. UMass Boston (32), UMass Dartmouth (24), VTSU Castleton (20) and Plymouth State (8) complete the poll.
 
Head coach Sammy Blizzard Bogardus enters her second full season at the helm after guiding the team to a 6-12-0 record last fall. The six wins were tied for the most since the 2019 season.
 
Sophomore Maggie MacDonald (Pembroke, Mass.) led the team with seven goals and 16 points last fall to earn All-LEC Third Team honors. Her seven goals were tied for the most by a first-year player in four years, while her 16 points were one shy of the most for a rookie since 2022. Classmate Clara Wilson (Montpelier, Vt.), who logged nearly 1,600 minutes while starting all 18 games last year, gained valuable experience in the midfield and contributed three goals, while graduate student Piper Sullivan (Laconia, N.H.) tallied four goals and an assist.
 
Plymouth State kicks off the 2026 campaign at Thomas College on Sept. 1, before hosting Fisher College in the home opener on Sept. 4. The contest will serve as the team's Morgan's Message Game, supporting student-athlete mental health initiatives. PSU opens league play at Rhode Island College on Sept. 12. The top six teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the LEC Tournament, with the top two seeds earning first-round byes.