The 2026 girls soccer campaign is starting to gear up.
Ashtabula County teams and Madison will battle throughout the campaign and look to contend for conference titles and postseason success.
Here’s a look at the teams:
Conneaut
The Spartans will look to capitalize on their experience this season.
Seniors Sierra VanGorder, Alexis Warner, Macey McBride and Madi Teppo and sophomores McKenzie Warner and Bella Young all return.
Both of the Warners, McBride, Teppo and Young all earned all-conference and all-county honors last season.
Freshman Zyla Sweet is a top newcomer.
“We have a lot of older players who bring leadership, game knowledge and perserverance to the field,” 12th year coach Rebecca Thomas said.
Edgewood
The Warriors went 9-6-1 overall and won the first sectional title in school history last season.
In the 2026 campaign, juniors Macey Faulkerson, Serenity Sears and Sydney Miller and sophomores Olivia Billington and Dianne Ianni all return.
Last season, Faulkerson recorded five goals and four assists in earning first-team all-county and honorable mention all-conference honors.
Billington collected six goals in earning the Golden Boot Award, and second-team CVC Lake accolades. Sears chipped in with two goals.
Junior Carly Tracy and freshmen Rylee Hall and Mae Measel are key newcomers.
“This season we have a lot of rebuilding to do in the defensive third with four defensive starters graduating last year, including our goalie,” fifth year coach Kaytee Shimek said. “We have had scrimmages to work out some kinks and are looking good, sharp, and ready to make a positive impact with quality wins.”
Senior Carly Kray, a significant part of the puzzle, won’t be available this season as she recovers from an injury.
Geneva
First-year coach Wesley Burns takes over a young team who had key players graduate from a Chagrin Valley Lake Division championship team.
“We are rebuilding, but the girls are working hard,” he said. “We hope to compete for the Lake Division title again this year and get a win in the post season.
“If we can accomplish one of those goals, I’d say it was a good year. Our AD [Jen Crossley] has worked hard to put together robust JV schedule this season which is going to be great for developing our team over the next few years.”
Senior Alexis Ross and Sophomores Gia Palmisano, Elizabeth Burns and Kenley Sheppard are key returners.
Ross earned CVC honors last season as a midfielder.
Palmisano is a CVC and all-county award forward; Burns, CVC and all county goaltender and Sheppard, an all-conference defender.
Sophomore Milani Johnson and freshmen Riley Virant and Mya Palinkas are players to watch this season.
Grand Valley
The Mustangs will have eight seniors in fold this season.
Jocelyn Cozad, Reese Nims and Maddie Lowry Stark and junior Lily Ross lead the list of key returners.
Avery and Brinley Rice are GV’s top newcomers.
“We hope to have a good season with eight seniors this year and a lot of experienced players,” eighth-year coach Vail Foltz said. “We look good on paper, just need to transfer that to the field.”
Jefferson
No information available.
Lakeside
The Dragons lost key players from the last two seasons.
Fifth-year coach Aaron Chamberlain, though, is encouraged by the numbers.
“This season’s outlook is kind of a mixed forecast,” he said. “We are very thin as far as experience goes, but we do have 20 players on the roster, so it will be a welcome change to have subs on the bench.
“We have only three seniors, and a couple juniors who are newcomers to soccer. There are 12 underclassmen on the team, so we see that as a huge opportunity for growth.”
Lakeside is benefitting from five Saint John transfers.
“That really gives us a boost,” Chamberlain said. “I can’t predict that we will have a lot of wins, but I am focusing on getting everyone a lot of experience to build for next season.”
Baileigh Wimer is one of the top returners.
The junior captured second team CVC honors last season.
“She scored 13 goals as a freshman but took a step back last season as we asked her to play a more defensive role,” Chamberlain said of Wimer.
Sophomore Keeley Hopson and freshman Sandra Pratt are working at goaltender.
“[Hopson] was our GK,” Chamberlain said. “This season she may play more as a midfielder. Sandra Pratt looks promising as a goalkeeper and will likely split those duties with Keeley. They both want to play the position and are both capable of it, so we see this as a good problem to have.”
Avielle McCurdy, one of those transfers, has been a pleasant surprise, Chamberlain said.
“She is a freshman attending Saint John and has emerged as a promising player,” he said. “We feel she will be a versatile player due to her athleticism and great attitude. We look forward to watching her growth.”
Grace Stein returns for her fourth season as a coach.
“She was an outstanding player for us and we are very lucky to have her here to pass down her wealth of soccer skill,” Chamberlain said.
Last season, the Dragons went 4-12-1.
“The positives we took away — three of the four wins we were playing with less than 11 on the field,” Chamberlain said. “Winning 9 vs 11 is exhausting, but a good feeling.
“Our best win was a 3-1 victory at home over Conneaut on Senior Night. Senior Evelyn Stein had the hat trick — all three goals from around 30 yards away.”
Madison
The Blue Streaks won a third straight conference title, and didn’t yield a CVC Lake goal in the process last season.
In the 2026 season, coach Chad Butler, who is in his 13th season of coaching Madison, returns juniors Sam Linton and Maggie White and sophomore Tennant Crawford.
Last season, Linton and Crawford posted second-team and White honorable mention all-conference honors.
At goaltender, Linton registered seven shutouts. Offensively, Crawford notched six assists.
Sophomore CC Alley and freshman Charlotte Welch will look to make an impact this season.
“Last year, we fielded a team that had very little varsity experience,” Butler said. “The excitement of this year is seeing that hard work pay off. All of our returning players are ready to take what they have learned and leave it all on the field.”
Pymatuning Valley
Annie Siembor is in her first season as head coach for the Lakers, taking over for Jerry King.
“I learned a lot about coaching and soccer in the last ten years as Mr. Jerry King’s assistant coach,” Siembor said. “Jerry fostered a soccer and team-focused attitude in our players, and I am working to continue what he started.
“One of the things I admire was Jerry’s ability to position players so their strengths most benefited our team. At our practices, players have been focused and ready to play and sharpen their skills.”
Last season, PV finished 8-5-3.
Sadie Paul, the Ashtabula County Player of the Year, has graduated.
“We were a young team last year that really developed over the season, and all of those players are back [minus the graduates],” Siembor said. “This year’s seniors are committed soccer players and love the sport.”
Top returners are seniors Lindsey Shanks at center-midfield, a first-team all-Northeastern Athletic Conference choice, and goalie for a national championship sand soccer team; Mackenzie Kribbs, a defender who earned honorable mention NAC accolades, and Sophia Marcin, midfielder.
An experienced group of juniors include Jayda Dismukes, Carley Baugher, CeVona Dismukes
Sophomore Tori Marcin, who played in the field last season, is at goalie. She’s replacing Kiera Dunbar, who is injured.
“Our goal is to be competitive in all of our games and to compete for the NAC title,” Siembor said. “The plan is to take one game at a time and give every minute of play our best. Winning in the postseason would be great. My goal is to be competitive in every game and to have players play hard every minute.”
Grace Carrizo, an athlete at Thiel College who is excited to work with the players, is the assistant coach.
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