BATON ROUGE, La. – Five LSU Soccer players have been named to the 2026 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist, the Southeastern Conference announced Monday, as the Tigers prepare to open the 2026 campaign.
The SEC preseason watchlist features 75 student-athletes from across the league, including 18 returning players who earned All-SEC recognition a season ago. LSU senior forward Ava Galligan, a 2025 First Team All-SEC selection, is one of four returning first-team honorees named to the list.
Galligan headlines the group of five Tigers selected to the watchlist, joined by forwards Sariyah Bailey and Allie Fryer, defender Kelsey Major and goalkeeper Audur Scheving.
The Tigers enter the 2026 season ranked No. 16 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, marking LSU's highest preseason national ranking since 2018. LSU is one of five SEC programs ranked in the preseason poll, joining Vanderbilt at No. 5, Arkansas at No. 10, Georgia at No. 19 and Tennessee at No. 24.
Galligan returns for her senior season after a standout 2025 campaign that helped lead LSU to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. The Ashburn, Virginia, native led the Tigers with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points, including six game-winning goals. Her 11 goals ranked among the SEC's best, while her six game-winners led the league. Galligan earned First Team All-SEC honors following the season.
Bailey enters her sophomore season after making an immediate impact for the Tigers as a freshman in 2025. The forward was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and earned Third Team All-SEC recognition after contributing to LSU's historic postseason run.
Fryer joins the Tigers for her fifth-year season after transferring to LSU from BYU. The Spanish Fork, Utah, native brings extensive experience to the LSU attack after recording 30 career goals during her collegiate career at BYU. Fryer was a key contributor for the Cougars and adds another proven scoring threat to the Tigers' front line.
Major returns for her senior season after being a core member of the LSU defense the last four years. The New Orleans native was one of only four players to start in every match for the Tigers last season.
Scheving, a senior goalkeeper, also returns after providing experience and depth between the posts for LSU. She recorded 42 saves and six wins last season.
The 2026 season marks the 34th season of women's soccer in the SEC, with league play beginning this week. No. 16 LSU opens the 2026 campaign on the road against No. 18 Wake Forest on Wednesday, August 12 at 6 p.m. CT in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
2026 SEC Soccer Preseason Watchlist
Alabama
Leah Klurman (D)
Kiley Kukan (F/M)
Melina Rebimbas (M/D)
Maison Smith (D)
Larkin Thomason (F)
Arkansas
Kennedy Ball (M)
Bella Field (F)
Aniyah Nurse-Whyte (M)
Zoe Susi (F)
Vailana Tu’ua (F/M)
Auburn
Jordyn Crosby (D)
Lily Devereaux (D)
Dylan Driver (F)
Kennedy Husbands (M)
Eva Pattison (D)
Florida
Hannah Jibril (D)
Zoe Main (F)
Paloma Peña (GK)
Adia Symmonds (M)
Kyra Taylor (F)
Georgia
Jordan Brown (GK)
Hannah Folliard (GK)
Kiera Staude (M)
Mya Townes (F)
Kentucky
Michelle Moskau (D)
Nadia Ramadan (M)
Alexis Tylenda (F)
LSU
Sariyah Bailey (F)
Allie Fryer (F)
Ava Galligan (F)
Kelsey Major (D)
Audur Scheving (GK)
Ole Miss
Paxton Bock (D)
Ava Ghoreishi (F)
Audrey Shackelford (M)
Jenna Studer (D)
Alena Watts (D)
Mississippi State
Hailey Johnson (F)
Laila Murillo (M)
Kyli Switalski (F)
Ashley Tutas (D/M)
Sarah Wommack (GK)
Missouri
Brianna Buels (F)
Landis Canada (M)
Mia Yang (D)
Oklahoma
Elle Canty (M)
Lexi Dendis (M/D)
Narissa Fults (F)
Kayla Keefer (F)
Ally Laccinole (D)
South Carolina
Taylor Bloom (D)
Sydney Middaugh (F)
Reagan Schubach (D/M)
Christina Tsaousis (GK)
Cuyler Zulauf (M)
Tennessee
Dakota Brown (M)
Ines Derrien (M)
Cayden Norris (GK)
Shae O'Rourke (F)
Kylee Simmons (F)
Texas
Ashlyn Anderson (F)
Mya Brandon (D)
Ava McDonald (F)
Hannah Tate (M)
Amalia Villarreal (M/F)
Texas A&M
Trinity Buchanan (M)
Bella Carapazza (M)
Ireland Churchill (F)
Riley Crooks (D)
Leah Diaz (F)
Vanderbilt
Ally Bollig-Agu (M)
Courtney Jones (M)
Reagan Pentz (M)
Olivia Stafford (F/M)
Sydney Watts (F)