2026 CAA Women’s Soccer Postseason Awards Unveiled
Dylan Smith
RICHMOND, Va. – The 2026 CAA Women’s Soccer postseason awards were unveiled on Wednesday, with selections made by the league’s 12 head coaches.
UNCW’s
Hailey Longwell and Towson’s
Sophie Thibeault split CAA Attacking Player of the Year after leading their respective teams to Division titles in the regular season. Longwell was instrumental in helping the Seahawks earn their second-straight South Division title with 11 of her 22 points coming in league play. Overall, the Moon Township, Pa., native notched eight goals and six assists across 17 matchups this season. Five of her eight strikes were of the game-winning variety, good for ninth in the nation. Thibeault helped the Tigers to their first North Division title by pacing the CAA with 14 points in league play. The senior forward rattled off four goals and a conference-best six assists across nine CAA contests.
Fellow Seahawk
Allie Planeaux picked up CAA Midfielder of the Year honors after pacing the CAA with nine assists (15
th in NCAA), part of a 17-point effort for UNCW. The Atlanta, Ga., product stepped up in league action after being one of four CAA players with 11 or more points (11). She recorded three goals and five helpers in her nine conference appearances. Defensively, Planeaux was equally as important in helping the Seahawks rank first in the conference with a +28 goal differential (13
th in NCAA).
Elon’s
Grace Gelhaus and UNCW’s
Alyssa Chuderewicz split CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors after bolstering their respective team’s backlines. Gelhaus paced all defenders with five assists en route to helping the Phoenix sit second in goal differential at +19. Tasked with marking the opposing team’s top attacker, she has been equally important in guiding the Phoenix to seven clean sheets this season. Chuderewicz was vital in helping UNCW lead the league with a .667 GAA and eight team shutouts. The junior defender helped the Seahawks surrender just six goals in conference play, allowing just 7.9 shot attempts per CAA contest.
For the second consecutive season, Northeastern’s
Eliza Teplow picked up CAA Goalkeeper of the Year recognition following an impressive 2026 campaign. The Wellesley, Mass., product led all CAA netminders with 97 saves (15
th in NCAA), good for 5.7 stops per contest (23
rd). Her top performance of the season came in the team’s 1-0 win over Elon, where she had to weather a shooting frenzy and made 11 stops, the most by a CAA goalkeeper in a regulation win since 2017. The senior net protector also produced six clean sheets across her 17 starts.
Towson’s
Meron Koro picked up the program’s first CAA Rookie of the Year honor after a stellar first campaign highlighted by 11 points. Helping the Tigers secure the top seed in the North Division, the freshman midfielder produced four goals and three assists across 17 appearances. Koro logged all three of her assists in league play and registered at least one point in five of her last seven outings to end the regular season.
UNCW Head Coach
Chris Neal earned his second consecutive and third career CAA Coach of the Year honor following a historic campaign. The Seahawks became the conference’s first soccer program to finish the regular season with an unbeaten record, going 11-0-7 overall. Furthermore, UNCW became just the second women’s soccer program to produce back-to-back unbeaten records in league play with a 6-0-3 mark, joining the 1994 and 1995 William & Mary teams. Neal watched his team pace the conference with 43 total goals (12
th in NCAA), 40 assists (21
st) and 123 points (18
th).
The 2026 CAA Women’s Soccer Championship season opens action on Thursday, Nov. 5, with both First Round matchups being streamed on FloCollege and the FloSports Channel on Prime Video.
2026 CAA Women’s Soccer Postseason Awards
CAA Co-Attacking Player of the Year
Hailey Longwell, UNCW
Sophie Thibeault, Towson
CAA Midfielder of the Year
Allie Planeaux, UNCW
CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year
Alyssa Chuderewicz, UNCW
Grace Gelhaus, Elon
CAA Goalkeeper of the Year
Eliza Teplow, Northeastern
CAA Rookie of the Year
Meron Koro, Towson
CAA Coach of the Year
Chris Neal, UNCW
All-CAA First Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Bella Antonio |
Charleston |
F |
Sr. |
North Ridgeville, Ohio |
| Hailey Longwell |
UNCW |
F |
R-Jr. |
Moon Township, Pa. |
| Sophie Thibeault |
Towson |
F |
Sr. |
Severn, Md. |
| Kale’a Perry |
Towson |
F |
Grad. |
Waldorf, Md. |
| Meron Koro |
Towson |
M |
Fr. |
Takoma Park, Md. |
| Chloe Messer |
Monmouth |
M |
Sr. |
Jackson, N.J. |
| Allie Planeaux |
UNCW |
M |
Jr. |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| Alyssa Chuderewicz |
UNCW |
D |
Jr. |
Virginia Beach, Va. |
| Grace Gelhaus |
Elon |
D |
Sr. |
Woodstock, Conn. |
| Lisa Muller |
Stony Brook |
D |
Fr. |
Zihlschlacht, Switzerland |
| Eliza Teplow |
Northeastern |
GK |
Sr. |
Wellesley, Mass. |
All-CAA Second Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Amy Meadows |
Hofstra |
F |
5th |
Cheshire, England |
| Isa Murdock |
Elon |
F |
R-Sr. |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Ashley Lavrich |
Monmouth |
F |
Jr. |
Birdsboro, Pa. |
| Mia Abbey |
William & Mary |
M |
So. |
Elmer, N.J. |
| Abby Connolly |
Campbell |
M |
Jr. |
Thomasville, N.C. |
| Emely Rubio |
Towson |
M |
Sr. |
Bowie, Md. |
| Gabby Tirado |
Elon |
M |
Jr. |
Cheshire, Conn. |
| Sydney Lindeman |
Towson |
D |
Grad. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Sasha McTiffin |
Hofstra |
D |
Sr. |
Manchester, England |
| Grace Notarfrancesco |
Monmouth |
D |
Jr. |
Mechanicsburg, Pa. |
| Teagan Gardner |
Towson |
GK |
R-Jr. |
Leesburg, Va. |
All-CAA Third Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Caigan Leonard |
UNCW |
F |
Jr. |
New Windsor, N.Y. |
| Emily Lemke |
Stony Brook |
F |
So. |
Nordenham, Germany |
| Ava Magnuson |
William & Mary |
F |
Fr. |
Sutton, Mass. |
| Lula Arcila |
Northeastern |
M |
Fr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| Nylah Jennings |
Hampton |
M |
Jr. |
Bowie, Md. |
| Lindsay Wilson |
William & Mary |
M |
Sr. |
Scituate, Mass. |
| Brooke Birrell |
Towson |
D |
R-Sr. |
Lorton, Va. |
| Zahra Fepessi |
Campbell |
D |
Sr. |
Sanford, N.C. |
| Molly Widderich |
William & Mary |
D |
Sr. |
Mebane, N.C. |
| Ava Vaughan |
UNCW |
D |
Jr. |
High Point, N.C. |
| Lili White |
UNCW |
GK |
Jr. |
Norfolk, Va. |
CAA All-Rookie Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Lula Arcila |
Northeastern |
M |
Fr. |
Miami, Fla. |
| Jayla Caldwell |
Towson |
D |
Fr. |
Ashburn, Va. |
| Mia Claro |
Hofstra |
M/F |
Fr. |
Bayside, NY |
| Laney Heafner |
Campbell |
F |
Fr. |
Kernersville, N.C. |
| Meron Koro |
Towson |
M |
Fr. |
Takoma Park, Md. |
| Ava Magnuson |
William & Mary |
F |
Fr. |
Sutton, Mass. |
| Lisa Muller |
Stony Brook |
D |
Fr. |
Zihlschlacht, Switzerland |
| Daniek Tiemersma |
Hofstra |
M |
Fr. |
Oegstgeest, Netherlands |
| Saar van der Boom |
Monmouth |
D |
Fr. |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Kamrey Watkins |
UNCW |
F |
Fr. |
Richlands, N.C. |
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