TURLOCK, Calif.--- The Stan State women's soccer team, under the direction of first-year head coach Adam James, has been picked to finish fourth in the 2026 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular-season standings, according to the conference's preseason coaches' poll.

The Warriors received 141 points in the voting, placing them behind preseason favorite Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal State San Bernardino.

Cal Poly Pomona received 10 first-place votes and totaled 188 points to earn the top spot in the preseason poll. Cal Poly Humboldt collected two first-place votes and 158 points to place second, while Cal State San Bernardino was picked third with 151 points.

Stan State was picked fourth with 141 points, four points ahead of fifth-place Chico State, which received 137. Cal State Los Angeles received one first-place vote and 131 points to place sixth, while Cal State Monterey Bay received the other first-place vote and was picked eighth with 101 points.

The Warriors enter the 2026 campaign receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Preseason Poll after also receiving votes in the final national poll of the 2025 season. Cal Poly Pomona enters the season ranked No. 2 nationally, while fellow CCAA members Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State San Marcos are receiving votes along with Stan State. West Region opponents Concordia and Point Loma are also receiving votes in the preseason national poll.

Stan State finished 2025 with an 11-5-4 overall record and placed third in the CCAA standings. The Warriors advanced to the CCAA Championship semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons and qualified for the conference tournament for the sixth consecutive year.

Stan State returns an experienced group from last season's team, including several Warriors who earned postseason recognition during the 2025 campaign.  Aliah Avila returns after a decorated 2025 season in which she earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honors, United Soccer Coaches and D2CCA First Team All-West Region honors, All-CCAA First Team recognition and a spot on the CCAA All-Tournament Team. She was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

Olivia Maragos returns for her sophomore season after being named the 2025 CCAA Freshman of the Year. She also earned All-CCAA Second Team honors and was selected as Stan State's Female Freshman of the Year.
Zara Mujica returns in goal after earning All-CCAA Honorable Mention honors. Mujica posted a 0.97 goals-against average and recorded 6.5 shutouts during the 2025 season.

Those honorees are part of a larger group of returning Warriors looking to build upon last season's third-place CCAA finish and trip to the conference tournament semifinals.

Stan State also continued its longstanding tradition of academic success during the 2025-26 academic year. The Warriors earned the United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award for the 20th consecutive year, having received the distinction every year since 2006. Programs must post a composite team grade-point average of at least 3.0 to earn the honor.  Avila earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honors, while Grace Fabionar, Olivia Kamm and other returning Warriors were among those recognized for their academic achievements. Five Warriors earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, while 20 members of the program were named to the 2025-26 CCAA All-Academic Team.

The top seven teams in the final CCAA regular-season standings will advance to the 2026 CCAA Women's Soccer Tournament presented by FloCollege. The quarterfinals will be held at campus sites on Sunday, Nov. 1, with the top seed receiving a bye. The semifinals and championship will be held at Kellogg Stadium on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona in Pomona, Calif., with the semifinals scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, and the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Stan State opens the 2026 season at the Humboldt Kickoff, facing Concordia on Aug. 27 and Central Washington on Aug. 29 in Arcata. The Warriors then travel to Point Loma on Sept. 3 before hosting Dominican in their home opener Sept. 6 at Warrior Stadium. Stan State opens CCAA play Sept. 18 when it welcomes Cal State Monterey Bay to Warrior Stadium.

2026 CCAA Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Cal Poly Pomona (10)	188
2.	Cal Poly Humboldt (2)	158
3.	Cal State San Bernardino	151
4.	Stan State	141
5.	Chico State	137
6.	Cal State Los Angeles (1)	131
7.	Cal State San Marcos	118
8.	Cal State Monterey Bay (1)	101
9.	Cal State East Bay	92
10.	UC Merced	85
11.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	64
12.	San Francisco State	41
13.	Menlo	27
	Fresno Pacific	27

First-place votes are listed in parentheses.