NEW YORK – Two-time defending CUNY Athletic Conference women's soccer regular season and tournament champion John Jay is the coaches' pick to three-peat as champion in 2026 as the league released its preseason poll Monday morning. The Bloodhounds earned five of six first place votes, with coaches not allowed to vote for their own teams, and tallied 25 points.
The Bloodhounds, who will be seeking their sixth CUNYAC title in seven seasons, wrapped up 2025 11-3-3 overall and 4-0 in CUNYAC play. In conference play John Jay did not allow a goal and kept its shutout string intact with a pair of shutouts in the conference championship, including a 3-0 blanking of CCNY in the title game. The Bloodhounds enter 2026 with a 13-match regular season conference win streak.
CCNY, last season's runner-up, earned the other first place vote and a total of 20 points. Brooklyn, which tied for second with the Beavers during the regular season, slotted third in the poll with 18 points, with Lehman tallying 13 points to sit fourth.
York (9) and Medgar Evers (5) rounded out the poll.
One Player to Watch from each team was also announced Monday morning.
The 2026 CUNYAC Women's Soccer Championship begins with a pair of semifinal contests hosted by higher seeds on Saturday, October 31. The championship game is set for Saturday, November 7 at 1:30 pm at York College in a doubleheader with the men's soccer championship game that takes place earlier in the day.
2026 CUNYAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
(first place votes in parentheses)
1. John Jay (5) - 25
2. CCNY (1) - 20
3. Brooklyn - 18
4. Lehman - 13
5. York - 9
6. Medgar Evers - 5
CUNYAC Women's Soccer
Players to Watch
Chelsea Gonzalez, Brooklyn - Gonzalez, a junior this season started all 16 games for the Bulldogs as a sophomore in 2025, totaling four assists. As a freshman in 2024 she was named to the All-Star team.
Sara Dos Santos, CCNY - Dos Santos, a freshman in 2025, was second on the Beavers in scoring with three goals and an assist. She started all 13 games in which she appeared.
Anina Gut, John Jay - Gut, a senior goalkeeper, posted a 1.75 goals-against average and .711 save percentage in 16 games for the Bloodhounds last season. She recorded four shutouts and combined with Gianna Duarte for seven more.
Stephanie Roldan, Lehman - Roldan, a junior defender, started six games and appeared in nine for the Lightning in 2025. She started all 14 games in which she played as a freshman in 2024.
Danajah Lawrence, Medgar Evers - Lawrence, a junior midfielder, started 10 games as a freshman for the Cougars in 2024 and recorded four goals, including a pair of goals against York.
Stephanie Gonzalez, York - Gonzalez, a sophomore forward, was voted Rookie of the Year last season for the Cardinals after finishing the season with 10 goals and an assist for 21 points. She led the conference in scoring.
For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to
cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (
@CUNYAC), X (
@CUNYAC), Threads (
@CUNYAC) and YouTube (
@CUNY Athletic Conference), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (
CUNY Athletic Conference).
Sign up to receive the latest CUNY Athletic Conference news delivered right to your email inbox
HERE.