BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Soccer senior forward Ava Galligan has been named to the 2026 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy NCAA Division I Women’s Watch List, the Intercollegiate Women’s Soccer Organization for Coaches (IWSOC) and United Soccer Coaches announced Wednesday.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Women’s National Player of the Year and is considered the highest individual honor in collegiate soccer. The 2026 watch list features 77 of the nation’s top returning players, with 15 semifinalists set to be announced Dec. 4. Three finalists will then be selected, with the 2026 recipient scheduled to be announced Jan. 8, 2027, at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri.
Galligan enters her senior season following one of the most productive offensive campaigns in LSU Soccer history. The Ashburn, Virginia, native led the Tigers with 11 goals in 2025 while adding four assists for 26 points across 25 appearances. She also recorded six game-winning goals, ranking among the SEC leaders in goals, points, shots and game-winning goals.
Her 2025 campaign earned Galligan First Team All-SEC honors, SEC All-Tournament Team recognition and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors, while she was also named Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year. She helped lead the Tigers to a 15-6-4 record and the first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in program history.
Galligan was particularly impactful during LSU’s postseason run, scoring twice and adding an assist across four matches at the 2025 SEC Tournament as the Tigers advanced to the SEC Championship match for the first time since 2018.
She has continued that production into the 2026 season. Through LSU’s first four matches, Galligan has started all four contests and leads the Tigers with two goals, four points and 14 shots. She has recorded a team-best four shots on goal and owns one game-winning goal.
Galligan opened the season with five shots against Wake Forest before finding the back of the net in LSU’s 5-0 home-opening victory over Northwestern State. She added her second goal of the season Sunday against Florida Gulf Coast, giving her two goals through the Tigers’ first four matches.
The senior forward has now totaled 13 goals and 30 points in her LSU career, continuing to establish herself as one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Southeastern Conference.
Galligan is one of 77 players named to the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The list was compiled by members of the Division I Women’s All-America Council from a pool of returning 2025 All-Americans and First Team All-Region selections.
The 15 Hermann Trophy semifinalists will be announced Dec. 4 following NCAA Division I All-American voting. Three finalists will then be selected through a vote of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches, with the 2026 recipient to be announced Jan. 8, 2027, in St. Louis.