EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Soccer is projected to place third in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league's head coaches and communication directors. The third-place prediction is USI's highest projection in the conference's preseason predicted order of finish since joining the OVC in 2022.
 
The eight-team OVC will feature a schedule in which each team plays each other once for a seven-match conference schedule. The OVC postseason tournament starts on campus sites with the first-round and quarterfinal matches on November 5 and 8, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting matches. The event switches to the site of the No. 1 seed the following weekend with semifinal and championship matches on November 12 and 15.
 
Lindenwood University, the 2025 OVC Tournament runner-up, topped the OVC preseason poll with 93 points and nine first-place votes. Eastern Illinois University was picked second with 87 points and five first-place votes. USI rounded out the top three in the predicted order of finish with 77 points and two first-place votes.
 
The University of Tennessee at Martin and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville were selected fourth and fifth with 55 and 52 points, respectively. The sixth spot went to Southeast Missouri State University with 39 points, followed by Morehead State University in seventh with 31 points. Western Illinois University (14) finished out the poll.
 
As part of the OVC's preseason announcement, graduate forward Payton Seymour and redshirt sophomore defender Ava Hess represented USI on the 2026 OVC Women's Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List.
 
Seymour is coming off a redshirt season in 2025 due to injury, but had a solid showing in her last season on the field in 2024. The forward tallied seven points off two goals and three assists during the 2024 campaign, while also firing 19 shots and seven on target. Seymour made five starts in 19 appearances in 2024.
 
Hess appeared in 20 matches last season, making five starts, and totaling 729 minutes of action on USI's defensive backline. Hess played a full 90 minutes in two outings. The defender was part of the Screaming Eagles' defensive unit that helped post 10 shutouts last season, including four clean sheets in the final four games played. Additionally, Hess and USI's defense recorded three separate streaks of limiting the opposition scoreless for over 310 minutes.
 
Junior defender Emma Schut was also highlighted in the OVC's preseason announcement as a returning all-conference player for USI. Schut was an All-OVC Second-Team selection in 2025. The junior was one of three Screaming Eagles to start all 21 matches a season ago, playing the second-most minutes on the team with 1,810 minutes on the field during her sophomore season. Schut transitioned from the midfield to the backline and tallied four points on two goals scored.
 
USI hosts Bellarmine University in a preseason exhibition on Wednesday at 7 p.m. from Strassweg Field before a final preseason tune-up on the road at Kennesaw State University on August 8. The Screaming Eagles kick off their 30^th anniversary and the 2026 regular season at home on Thursday, August 13, at 7 p.m. against Wright State University. The first OVC contest of 2026 is September 27, when USI hosts UT Martin.
 
2026 OVC Women's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish
1. Lindenwood (9) - 93
2. Eastern Illinois (5) - 87
3. Southern Indiana (2) - 77
4. UT Martin - 55
5. SIUE - 52
6. Southeast Missouri - 39
7. Morehead State - 31
8. Western Illinois - 14
 
2026 Women's Soccer Returning All-OVC
D – Colleen Bauer, Jr. – Eastern Illinois
GK – Ella Kratochvil, Sr. – Eastern Illinois
F – Alex Tetteh, Sr. – Eastern Illinois
F – Mackenzie Compton, Jr. – Lindenwood
MF – Tasneem Dizdarevic, Jr. – Lindenwood
D – Allison Schrumpf, Sr. – Lindenwood
D – Emma Schut, Jr. – Southern Indiana
F – Peyton Cook, Sr. – UT Martin
GK – Mac Titus, R-Sr. – UT Martin
 
2026 OVC Women's Soccer Watch List
Abby Reinl, Sr., F – Eastern Illinois
Brooklyn Greene, Sr., MF - Eastern Illinois
Anna Johnson, Sr., F – Lindenwood
Caroline Ritter, Jr., GK – Lindenwood
Faith Pepper, Fr., D – Morehead State
Hannah Burke, Sr., D – Morehead State
Laia Amat, Jr., D – Southeast Missouri
Rachel Kretzer, So., MF – Southeast Missouri
Tori Bockstadter, So. F – SIUE
Sarah Bozeman, Sr. GK – SIUE
Ava Hess, Jr., MF - Southern Indiana
Payton Seymour, Gr., F - Southern Indiana
Unni Wolf, Jr., MF – UT Martin
Millie Perry, Jr., F – UT Martin
Hope Welsh, Jr., D – Western Illinois
Rita Moran, Jr., D – Western Illinois