BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU Soccer will begin its 2026 campaign ranked nationally for the first time in program history as they placed No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, announced by the organization on Tuesday.
LSU’s No. 16 preseason ranking matches its position in the final United Soccer Coaches Poll of the 2025 season and places the Tigers among five SEC programs ranked inside the top 25. Vanderbilt leads the conference at No. 5, followed by Arkansas at No. 10, LSU at No. 16, Georgia at No. 19 and Tennessee at No. 24.
The squad was also selected to finish fourth in the 2026 SEC Preseason Coaches Poll, announced last week.
The Tigers are ready to kick off a new campaign following their most successful season in program history in 2025. LSU advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time ever last season, tied the program mark for most victories in a single season with a 15-6-4 overall record, made a run to the SEC Tournament Championship match and emerged back into the national rankings for the first time since 2021.
Under the direction of seventh-year head coach Sian Hudson, the Tigers return a talented core from last season’s squad like Co-Captains Kelsey Major and Ava Galligan, freshmen sensation Sariyah Bailey, and keeper Audur Scheving, while also welcoming a mix of newcomers to Baton Rouge.
This year’s roster added 10 freshmen who bring young talent to the team, with three being international players, and three veteran transfers in Allie Fryer, Emma Alvord and Linka Ono.
The Tigers will open the 2026 season on the road against No. 18 Wake Forest on Wednesday, August 12, at 6 p.m. CT. LSU will then return to Baton Rouge for its home opener against Northwestern State on Sunday, August 16.
For the latest information and updates on LSU Soccer, follow the Tigers on social media or visit LSUsports.net to purchase season tickets.
United Soccer Coaches National Ranking - Preseason Poll - August 4, 2026