Dougherty Signs First Pro Contract with Vojvodina in Serbia
2/12/2026 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Madelyn Dougherty, a 2025 All-Big West First Team selection, officially signed her first professional contract with ŽFK Vojvodina in Novi Sad, Serbia on Thursday.
Vojvodina plays in the Serbian Women’s Super League, the top division of women’s soccer in Serbia. Dougherty is joining the team as a mid-year signee as Vojvodina currently sits in fourth place in the league standings.
The 22-year-old originally from Kula, Hawai’i, was a star in the midfield in her lone season with the Cal Poly women’s soccer program this fall, and can’t wait to begin this next chapter in her playing career.
“It means the world to me,” Dougherty said. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue playing the game I love as a career, it’s a dream I’ve always had.”
Dougherty was a force to be reckoned with this past season, helping the Mustangs capture their first Big West Championship Tournament title in 21 years and fourth overall. While starting and appearing in all 22 matches for Cal Poly this fall, Dougherty recorded five goals, nine assists, three game-winning goals and 25 shots across over 1,610 minutes played, earning All-Big West First Team honors for her stellar play in the midfield.
Dougherty’s nine assists led the Big West and were tied for the third most by a Mustang in a single season and the most since 2014. Her 19 points this year were also tied for the second most in the conference, only trailing teammate Jessie Halladay.
The 2022 King Kekaulike High grad joined the Mustangs prior to the start of the 2025 season after spending the previous three years at Sacramento State (2022-24). As a team captain for the Hornets, Dougherty started in all 57 matches she appeared in, compiling 4,867 total minutes, 72 shots, three goals and three assists. In her final year at Sacramento State, she helped the Hornets capture their first Big Sky Championship in 14 years and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Sacramento State in the spring of 2025 with her bachelor’s degree in health science.
Across her collegiate career, she started in all 79 matches she appeared in, racking up nearly 6,500 minutes on the pitch — proving she possessed the skill, talent and durability to pursue a professional career.
Dougherty is looking forward to this new adventure and tackling all the challenges that lie ahead as she embarks on this journey.
“I think new experiences in life and being in adverse situations is what builds people into who they are,” she said, “and I know the road to where I want to get is going to be bumpy, but I’m not worried because I’ve been in those situations before and I know this is just going to be the next step in my career, and is just the beginning.”
Dougherty is the sixth Cal Poly women's soccer player in program history to sign a contract to play professionally and the first since midfielder Camille Lafaix in 2023. Lafaix is currently playing for Rangers W.F.C in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, the top division in Scotland.
Dougherty said the transition she went through while transferring from Sacramento State to Cal Poly along with the incredible culture head coach Bernardo Silva built in his first year with the program helped prepare her for this moment to pursue a professional career.
“For me in my own career, this step into a new environment at Cal Poly is very similar to what I’m going to be going through as a pro, having to jump into a completely new environment and adapt,” she said. “Bernardo approaches practices and just the structure of the entire program in such a professional way, so my time here really helped me get to the next level.”
Dougherty hopes her pro signing inspires others to pursue their dreams.
“I’m just extremely grateful for the opportunity to keep playing and to all the little girls out there, you just have to put in the work and you can get there too," she said.
