ORLANDO, Fla. - The 2026 Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Preseason Coaches' Poll was released on Tuesday afternoon, with the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team picked to finish in fourth place. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams, and points are then calculated (1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, with first-place votes in parentheses).
Florida Tech, the reigning national champions, received the maximum 10 first place votes, while Nova Southeastern, who won the 2025 SSC regular season and tournament championship recieved the only other fist place vote. Eckerd earned 32 points to round out the top three, with the Blue and Gold following the Tritons with 39 points.
ERAU has finished in the top half of the SSC during each season of Liam McIlhatton's reign as head coach, including a pair of regular season championships. He will now be looking to lead the program to a seventh straight national tournament appearance.
The Eagles are bringing back 14 players from last year's team in addition to 12 newcomers which includes in five freshmen and seven transfers. Of the 14 players that are returning,
Lauryn Mateo,
Anna Marisa Lara,
Stella Roane, and
Ida Zetterberg were All-Conference selections, with Mateo and Roane also being named All-Region players.
Embry-Riddle will get its season started by playing five consecutive home games, beginning on Aug. 27. Following the non-conference slate, the 10-game SSC season will start on Sept. 12 with a matchup on the road against Eckerd.
2026 SSC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points (FPV) |
| 1 |
Florida Tech |
10 (10) |
| 2 |
Nova Southeastern |
20 (1) |
| 3 |
Eckerd |
32 |
| 4 |
Embry-Riddle |
39 |
| 5 |
Rollins |
47 |
| 6 |
Florida Southern |
55 |
| 7 |
Tampa |
62 |
| 8 |
Lynn |
80 |
| 9 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
82 |
| 10 |
Barry |
83 |
| 11 |
Saint Leo |
95 |
