JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Aug. 10, 2026) - The ETSU women's soccer team was picked to finish tied for second place in the SoCon in 2026 in the league's annual preseason poll, announced by the SoCon office on Monday afternoon. Seniors Reagan Fitzgerald and Ella Parker and junior Georgia Shields were selected to the Preseason All-SoCon team as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Their three players on the Preseason All-SoCon squad are tied with Samford for the most of any school in 2026.

The Buccaneers were slotted second with 80 points in the preseason poll, tied with Furman, with the Paladins receiving a first-place vote. Jay Yelton's group returns 80% of its offensive output and 88% of its minutes from the 2025 team that also finished third in the regular season. Two-time reigning tournament champion Samford is the decisive preseason favorite, receiving 10 of the 11 available first-place votes.

Fitzgerald is coming off an All-SoCon season a year ago after being one of the nation's most impactful goal scorers. The Oviedo, Florida, native led ETSU with nine goals, fourth-most in the SoCon, and finished eighth in the country with six game-winning goals. She also ranked 23rd nationally in shots per game (3.84) and 39th in shots on goal per game (1.74). ETSU was 7-0-1 last season when Fitzgerald scored at least once and is 12-1-1 all-time. She enters the season tied for 10th on ETSU's career goal-scoring charts with 16.

Parker has been a defensive stalwart for ETSU for the last two seasons and was named Second Team All-SoCon in 2025 splitting time between right back and center back. Parker's 1,583 minutes last season were second-most on the team and the most of any outfield player for ETSU in 2025. The Jefferson, Georgia, product played 1,160 of a possible 1,170 minutes over the team's final 13 games.

Shields enjoyed a breakout season last year, playing 1,566 minutes as the starting left back on her way to Second Team All-SoCon honors. The junior from Franklin, Tennessee, was one of three Buccaneers to start all 19 games in 2025, along with Fitzgerald and Parker.

ETSU opens the 2026 season at home on Wednesday at 6pm against North Alabama. Admission to all ETSU women's soccer home matches is free.

2026 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Samford (10)           100
T-2. Furman (1)             80
T-2. ETSU                     80
4. Western Carolina      68
5. Chattanooga             67
6. Mercer                       66
7. UNCG                       43
8. Tennessee Tech        40
9. Wofford                      32
10. The Citadel              19
11. VMI                          10
() denotes first-place votes

2026 Women's Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team
F             Reagan Fitzgerald, ETSU
F             Norah Roller, Furman
F             Sam De Luca, Samford
F             Quinn Johnson, Chattanooga
MF         Georgia Shields, ETSU
MF         Payton Nutzman, Mercer
MF         Rina Ogimoto, UNCG
D            Ella Parker, ETSU
D            Anna Bachman, Mercer       
D            Caroline Smith, Samford
D            Mary Mueth, Western Carolina
GK         Peyton Hull, Samford

For more information on ETSU women's soccer, go to ETSUBucs.com.