Women's Soccer Announces 2026 Schedule
LA CROSSE, Wis. – The V-Hawk athletics department has released the 2026 Women's Soccer schedule, featuring nine non-conference contests, nine CCAC matchups, and a pair of August scrimmage and exhibition matches to open the year.
Non-Conference Slate
The V-Hawks open their 2026 season at home on August 13, welcoming Madison College to the Viterbo Outdoor Athletics Complex in La Crosse for a scrimmage competition.
After their home opener, they head south for a two-match swing through Florida, where they'll meet St. Thomas and Florida National for their first official competitions of the 2026 season. The team then returns to La Crosse for an exhibition match on August 28 before hosting another home contest on September 1 against NCAA Division III opponent St. Scholastica.
Once the home stand concludes, Viterbo travels to western Iowa for matchups with Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) programs Northwestern and Dordt. On September 13, the V-Hawks take on another Division III challenger in Loras, and they wrap up their non-conference slate at home with visits from St. Mary of the Woods and Bellevue.
CCAC Competitions
Viterbo opens CCAC play on the road against the 2025 regular-season champions, Holy Cross, who finished last season 8-1-3 in conference action and defeated the V-Hawks 2-1 in October. The team then travels to face St. Francis, another top CCAC program that also defeated the V-hawks 2-1 last year.
The team will host their first home conference competition on October 3 against Olivet Nazarene, who placed just ahead of the V-Hawks in the 2025 standings with a 7-0-5 CCAC record. A road match against Calumet and a home match against Mount Mary follow. Last season, the V-Hawks' largest margin of victory came against the Mount Mary Blue Angels with a dominant 9-0 win on the road.
The V-Hawks then travel to Governors State, who they defeated 6-2 in 2025, before returning home for three of their final four conference competitions. They host Indiana South Bend on October 17 and Indiana Northwest on October 21, both teams Viterbo topped last season.
The final road match of the year comes against Saint Xavier, a strong 2025 squad that finished 8-1-3 in CCAC play. The regular season will conclude at home on October 27 against Judson, a team that the V-Hawks defeated 4-1 last season.
The CCAC Tournament will then begin on November 4 with quarterfinal action, followed by the semifinals on November 7 and the CCAC Championship match on November 11. The top eight teams in the conference will qualify for the tournament.
2025 Season Recap
Viterbo finished the 2025 season 8-7 overall and 7-5 in CCAC competition, placing sixth in the conference. The V-Hawks opening the year with a 4-3 win over the College of Saint Mary before dropping their second match to St. Thomas, a team they will rematch this season. The V-Hawks responded with a perfect September, earning four straight victories over Governors State, Indiana South Bend, Judson, and Trinity Christian to enter October at 5-1 and 4-0 in the conference.
October proved to be challenging for the V-Hawks with four consecutive losses to start the month, three decided by one goal. The team rebounded with a strong 9-0 win over Mount Mary before closing the regular season with victories over Calumet and Indiana Northwest. Viterbo advanced to the CCAC quarterfinals where they fell 2-1 to St. Ambrose.
2026 Outlook
The V-Hawks return a strong core of offensive talent, led by sophomore Brynlee Kelly. As a freshman, Kelly led the team in goals (9), assists (12), and points (30, while also leading the entire CCAC in both assists and points. With her stunning first season, Kelly was named as the CCAC Freshman of the Year and the CCAC Offensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the CCAC First Team.
Of 38 goals scored last season for the V-Hawks, returners in 2026 accounted for 32 of those goals, nearly 85% of the team's offensive production. Nine players who started in over 50% of last year's games (at least eight games) return in 2026. Those players are the following:
- Brynlee Kelly, Sophomore (14 starts)
- Evelyn Shaw, Junior (14 starts)
- Paxten Bristol, Sophomore (13 starts)
- Maya Bubbers, Senior (13 starts)
- Ellie Hedges, Senior (13 starts)
- Kelcie Karweick, Graduate (13 starts)
- Casey Hill, Senior (11 starts)
- Erin Brooks, Sophomore (8 starts)
- Anna Prokopec Urueta, Sophomore (8 starts)
Additionally, senior goalkeeper Maddie Zilm is returning after starting six matches last season before an injury ended her 2025 season early.
Other returners to the 2026 squad include Natalie Graham, Ashlee Tupper, Minnie Clements-Mahlum, Brennan Attwood, Alise Hoffman, and Gabrielle LeBrun.
Key Departures
The V-Hawks will be without two major defensive anchors this year in Hadley Dammer and Alex Little, both of whom started all 14 matches last season. Dammer earned CCAC Second Team honors in 2025. Both Dammer and Little graduated from the University. The team also graduates Elle Hager, who made six starts and four goals, along with seniors Julie Fortanier, Carolin Burgard, Dymphna Geels, and Lily Robinson.
2026 Schedule
Thursday, August 13 vs Madison College#
Thursday, August 20 at St. Thomas
Saturday, August 22 at Florida National
Friday, August 28 vs Shattuck St. Mary's#
Tuesday, September 1 vs St. Scholastica
Friday, September 4 at Northwestern
Saturday, September 5 at Dordt
Sunday, September 13 at Loras
Saturday, September 19 vs St. Mary of the Woods
Wednesday, September 23 vs Bellevue
Saturday, September 26 at Holy Cross*
Tuesday, September 29 at St. Francis*
Saturday, October 3 vs Olivet Nazarene*
Wednesday, October 7 at Calumet*
Saturday, October 10 vs Mount Mary*
Tuesday, October 13 at Governors State*
Saturday, October 17 vs Indiana South Bend*
Wednesday, October 21 vs Indiana Northwest*
Saturday, October 24 at Saint Xavier*
Tuesday, October 27 vs Judson*
Wednesday, November 4 CCAC Tournament Begins
#Exhibition/Scrimmage Matches
*CCAC Matches