<\/p>\n
The 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference women\u2019s soccer season is set to feature another deep field of nationally competitive programs, with the preseason coaches poll offering an early look at the teams expected to contend for the conference title. The ACC released its preseason coaches poll and Preseason All ACC Team on August 3, with Notre Dame narrowly selected as the favorite ahead of Stanford, Duke, defending national champion Florida State and North Carolina.<\/p>\n
Notre Dame received seven first-place votes and 239 points from the conference\u2019s 17 head coaches. Stanford followed with 233 points and three first-place votes, while Duke and Florida State each received three first-place votes. North Carolina completed the top five.<\/p>\n
The individual selections are just as notable. The 2026 Preseason All ACC Team features 13 players. This includes four returning first team All ACC selections from 2025. Among them are Notre Dame forward Izzy Engle, the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year. There is also Stanford goalkeeper Caroline Birkel, who was the conference\u2019s 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year. With the season beginning in August, several players stand out from this year\u2019s preseason selections.<\/p>\n
\nIzzy Engle enters the 2026 season as arguably the biggest individual standout<\/a> on the preseason list. The Notre Dame forward is coming off a specific sophomore campaign that saw her become the first Fighting Irish striker to win the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n
Engle led the conference in goals in 2025 with 17 and also recorded six assists for a league-leading 40 points. She scored in 12 of her 15 appearances and produced four multi-goal performances. This established her as one of the ACC\u2019s most dangerous attacking players.<\/p>\n
Her production was particularly impressive considering the quality of competition in the conference. Engle scored 11 of her goals in ACC play, helping Notre Dame remain among the country\u2019s top programs throughout the season.<\/p>\n
Now, she enters 2026 with even greater expectations. Notre Dame was selected as the preseason favorite,<\/a> and Engle\u2019s continued production will likely be crucial if the Fighting Irish are to live up to that prediction.<\/p>\n
Her selection to the Preseason All ACC Team alongside Notre Dame teammates Annabelle Chukwu and Abby Mills also demonstrates the confidence surrounding the program\u2019s returning talent. Notre Dame is one of only two schools with three players on the preseason team. They are tied with Florida State for the most selections.<\/p>\n
Caroline Birkel<\/h3>\n
\nCaroline Birkel gives Stanford one of the conference\u2019s most highly regarded returning goalkeepers. After earning ACC Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> honors as a freshman in 2025, Birkel has been selected to the 2026 Preseason All ACC Team.<\/p>\n
Birkel\u2019s recognition is especially significant because Stanford enters the season as the second choice in the coaches poll. The Cardinal received 233 points and three first-place votes, finishing just six points behind Notre Dame.<\/p>\n
Her performances in 2025 helped Stanford win the ACC Championship<\/a>, including a memorable performance in the conference final against Notre Dame. The match went to extra time after Notre Dame came back from a two-goal deficit, with Stanford eventually securing the championship. Birkel was part of the defense that helped the Cardinals navigate that difficult postseason run.<\/p>\n
Goalkeeping could again be one of Stanford\u2019s biggest strengths. With Birkel returning after an award-winning freshman campaign, the Cardinal have an experienced option behind their defense as they attempt to defend their ACC title and challenge Notre Dame for the top spot.<\/p>\n
Mia Minestrella<\/h3>\n
\nDuke forward Mia Minestrella is another player who enters the season with significant expectations. She was selected to the Preseason All ACC Team after earning first-team All ACC honors in 2025.<\/p>\n
Duke was picked third in the conference coaches poll with 224 points and three first-place votes. The Blue Devils therefore enter the season firmly among the programs expected to challenge for the ACC title<\/a>, with only 15 points separating them from preseason favorite Notre Dame.<\/p>\n
Minestrella\u2019s inclusion gives Duke a recognized attacking threat as the program attempts to compete with several nationally prominent teams. Her selection alongside defender Cameron Roller also gives the Blue Devils representation<\/a> on both sides of the field.<\/p>\n
With Duke receiving one of the conference\u2019s three sets of first-place votes, the preseason expectations are clear. Minestrella will be one of the players expected to help the Blue Devils turn that optimism into results.<\/p>\n
Wrianna Hudson<\/h2>\n
\nFlorida State<\/a> forward Wrianna Hudson is another standout from the preseason selections. The Seminoles enter the season as the defending national champions, although the coaches placed them fourth in the ACC preseason poll.<\/p>\n
Florida State received 213 points and three first-place votes, putting it only 11 points behind Duke. The narrow gap illustrates just how competitive the top of the conference is expected to be.<\/p>\n
Hudson was selected to the Preseason All ACC Team alongside Florida State teammates Janet Okeke and Nyanya Touray. With three selections, Florida State is tied with Notre Dame for the most representatives on the preseason team.<\/p>\n
The Seminoles will have to deal with enormous expectations after winning the national championship, but Hudson gives them another important attacking option as they attempt to remain among the country\u2019s best teams.<\/p>\n
Nyanya Touray<\/h2>\n
\nNyanya Touray gives Florida State another highly regarded player in the midfield. Her inclusion alongside Hudson and Okeke highlights the depth of talent returning to the defending national champions.<\/p>\n
Touray\u2019s role will be particularly important in a conference containing several teams capable of competing for the national championship. Florida State will face Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke, and North Carolina during a demanding campaign, making midfield control a crucial part of its title defense.<\/p>\n
Her preseason All ACC selection indicates that the conference\u2019s coaches expect her to have a significant impact. Combined with the recognition received by Hudson and Okeke, Touray\u2019s inclusion reinforces the idea that Florida State\u2019s strength is not limited to one individual player.<\/p>\n
Kylie Maxwell<\/h2>\n
\nWake Forest forward Kylie Maxwell is one of the most intriguing players outside the conference\u2019s top five preseason teams. She was selected to the Preseason All ACC Team after winning the ACC Freshman of the Year award in 2025.<\/p>\n
Maxwell\u2019s selection is significant because she enters her second collegiate season already carrying major individual recognition. Her performances as a freshman established her as one of the conference\u2019s most promising young attackers, and the preseason selection suggests coaches expect her to continue developing into one of the ACC\u2019s leading players.<\/p>\n
Wake Forest was selected seventh in the coaches poll, behind Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia. That makes Maxwell one of the players who could potentially help the Demon Deacons exceed their preseason projection.<\/p>\n
Cameron Roller<\/h2>\n
\nDuke defender Cameron Roller is another returning first-team All ACC selection, appearing on the preseason team. Her recognition gives the Blue Devils an established defensive presence as they prepare for another difficult ACC campaign.<\/p>\n
Roller\u2019s selection is particularly important because Duke will have to contend with several of the conference\u2019s most dangerous attacking players, including Engle and other returning stars. Her ability to help organize the defense and handle difficult matchups could be critical during the conference schedule.<\/p>\n
With Roller representing Duke defensively and Minestrella providing an attacking presence, the Blue Devils have two preseason All ACC selections who represent different areas of the field.<\/p>\n
New Season, New Opportunities<\/h2>\n
The ACC\u2019s 2026 women\u2019s soccer preseason selections highlight just how much talent is returning to one of the strongest conferences in college soccer. Notre Dame enters the campaign as the coaches\u2019 favorite, but Stanford, Duke, Florida State, and North Carolina are all positioned close behind.<\/p>\n
Individually, Izzy Engle is one of the biggest names to watch after leading the ACC in goals and points in 2025 and winning the conference\u2019s Offensive Player of the Year award. Caroline Birkel enters her second season as the reigning Goalkeeper of the Year, while Mia Minestrella and Cameron Roller give Duke two established players receiving preseason recognition.<\/p>\n
Florida State\u2019s Wrianna Hudson and Nyanya Touray will also be important players to watch as the defending national champions attempt to defend their title. Meanwhile, Kylie Maxwell represents one of the conference\u2019s most promising young attacking players after winning Freshman of the Year in 2025.<\/p>\n
The 2026 ACC women\u2019s soccer season begins in August<\/a>, and with four teams receiving at least three first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll, there is no clear consensus about which program will ultimately emerge as the conference\u2019s best. The individual players recognized on the Preseason All ACC Team will have a major opportunity to shape that race as the season begins.<\/p>\n
Featured image via @dukewsoc<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
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