SEASON PREVIEW: Georgia Southern Women's Soccer Looks For Consistency In 2026
8/11/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Eagles begin the season with an eye on returning to Sun Belt contention
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern women's soccer enters the 2026 campaign picked to finish ninth in the Sun Belt Conference, according to a preseason poll of the league's coaches.
Which is exactly where the Eagles were picked prior to last season. A season in which the youthful team finished 2-10-6 and missed out on the Sun Belt tournament for a second consecutive year.
Head coach Chris Adams knows that his Georgia Southern squad has the talent to outperform last season's production, as well as this season's predictions based on the preseason poll. The key to doing that, however, is consistency.
"Every game is a tough game in the Sun Belt," Coach Adams said. "There's no easy ones. You've got to get points anywhere you can get points. And we have to find a way to win the close games - you look at the last two years where we've had a losing season, we're 2-7 and 2-9 in one goal games. If we can find a way to be good with those narrow margins, that will be key. Just score that important goal at important times, and having special players step up in special moments."
The Eagles scored only 17 goals as a team last season, its lowest output since the COVID 2020-21 campaign, so the forwards will be understandably the position group under the most scrutiny this season. The leading returning scorer for Georgia Southern is Addison Comer (5-3, 4th, Jackson, Miss.), who tied for the team lead with four goals last year. Also returning this season is Kaitlin Cook (5-7, 3rd, Flowery Branch, Ga.) and Natalie Heckathorn (5-6, 2nd, Evans, Ga.), but a pair of talented newcomers will be added to that mix in 2026. Transfer Scarlett Hirschy (5-5, 2nd, Canton, Ga.) was the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year in 2025 at Young Harris, scoring 13 goals, while Anna Braziunas (5-10, 1st, Lilburn, Ga.) scored more than 60 goals in her high school career at Parkview HS.
In the midfield, the team boasts a wealth of returning experience in Kendall Wilson (5-6, 5th, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.), Meredith Pugh (5-5, 4th, Gulf Breeze, Fla.), Caitlin Conroy (5-8, 4th, Warrington, England) and Emma Chapman (5-4, 3rd, Decatur, Ga.), all of whom started double digit matches for the Eagles last season. Paisley Cathey (5-8, 2nd, Cleveland, Ga.) tallied three goals in her first three collegiate matches, while Hailey Esser (5-5, 3rd, Holly Springs, N.C.), Maya Zmistowski (5-3, 3rd, Braselton, Ga.) and Peyton Free (5-5, 3rd, Madison, Ala.) all gained valuable minutes last year. The team welcomes back Lauren Connelly (5-4, 4th, Roswell, Ga.) from injury and adds three talented freshmen in Kira Kim (5-1, 1st, Cumming, Ga.), Keeva Mitchell (5-4, 1st, Suwanee, Ga.) and Emma McRae (5-6, 1st, Canton, Ga.)
The back line starts with a trio of experienced third-year players in Claire Casey (5-9, 3rd, Williamston, Mich.), Libby Wooffindin (5-8, 3rd, Featherstone, England) and Olivia Golden (5-6, 3rd, Peachtree City, Ga.) - all three have started more than 20 matches in their Eagle careers. Fellow returners Maryann Beach (5-4, 3rd, Roswell, Ga.) and Aaliyah Mohammed (5-4, 2nd, Lawrenceville, Ga.) will be joined at times by Zmistowski and McRae providing depth from their midfield spots. Finally, Abby Sealy (5-10, 1st, Rolesville, N.C.) enters the mix as an incoming freshman.
The Eagles have the luxury of having all three of their goalkeepers back from last season, and all three started multiple matches during the 2025 campaign. Katie Oakley (5-3, 5th, Covington, Ga.) returns for her fifth season of eligibility and will battle with Quinn Wilson (5-5, 4th, Beaufort, S.C.) and Addison Daughtry (5-8, 2nd, Marietta, Ga.) for the starting spot in net.
"I love the energy our freshman have brought throughout the preseason," Coach Adams said about his roster. "And the leadership from the upperclassmen has helped to bring them along. It's a good combination. The upperclassmen have the experience and we're looking for them to share their knowledge with the younger players. I think you'll see contributions from them because of that, and I think the younger players' enthusiasm will bring out the best in the returning players."
The regular season begins with three straight matches against foes from the A-Sun, starting with the August 12 matchup against conference tournament finalist North Florida at Bo Pitts Field and continuing with matches against FGCU and Jacksonville. Another home match against UNCW is then followed by a four-game road swing which includes a P4 date at Michigan, setting the tone for what will be another highly competitive Sun Belt Conference slate that begins on September 13 against Arkansas State.
"I don't see an easy game on the schedule," Coach Adams said. "There's not a game where you say 'OK, we'll win that one easily.' But if you're going to play in tight games in the conference, you might as well play in tight games in the non-conference. At Michigan, we're not afraid to stretch ourselves, and I think with the likes of James Madison, Old Dominion and South Alabama, those games stretch you as well. So you have to have the tough non-conference to prepare you for conference."
As mentioned earlier, the preseason coaches' poll has the Eagles slotted for ninth, which would be one spot out of the 2026 Sun Belt Conference tournament in November as only the top eight make the field in Foley. So the goals for Coach Adams and Georgia Southern soccer are clear for this year.
"I think a winning record first and foremost is a goal," Coach Adams said. "In college, it's result-oriented soccer. So I think is important for us to gain confidence and show that we're gonna play a role in the Sun Belt. I think making the conference tournament has to be another goal. To have eight out of 14 go, it's not the highest percentage of most sports in the league and so it's highly competitive to make it to the conference tournament in women's soccer. Those are the big ones just going in to the season. But I do think those are minimal goals and I think we can get more finite goals as the season goes on."
The Eagles will begin pursuit of its goals - both on and off the field - on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against North Florida at Bo Pitts Field. Show your support for Georgia Southern women's soccer by signing up for the Pledge Per Win campaign where you donate to the program for each victory the Eagles achieve this season! Click GSEagles.com/PPWWSOC to sign up!
