Women's Soccer Tabbed as Preseason Co-Favorite; Smith Named to All-Big West Preseason Team
8/5/2026 9:05:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Reigning Big West champion Cal Poly women’s soccer was selected as one of the preseason favorites in the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday, while Annika Smith was named to the 11-player Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Mustangs were picked to finish first in the 12-team preseason poll alongside Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara. The two teams both received 100 total points in the poll, but Cal Poly earned the most first-place votes of any program with five, while UCSB had four. Last year, Cal Poly defeated the Gauchos 1-0 in the Big West Championship match to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Cal State Fullerton earned the third spot in the preseason poll (98 points) with one first-place vote, and Utah Valley secured fourth (95 points) while grabbing two first-place votes. UC Irvine was picked fifth (76), followed by Cal Baptist (75), Long Beach State (72), CSUN (58), UC San Diego (45), Cal State Bakersfield (33), UC Riverside (22) and Sacramento State (18).
The reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Year, Smith secured a spot on the All-Big West Preseason Team for the first time. The senior captain is poised to lead the Mustang attack this fall after a stellar junior campaign a year ago. Smith buried seven goals and tallied four assists to finish fourth in the conference in points (18), becoming just the second Mustang in program history and the first in 12 years to be crowned the Big West Offensive Player of the Year.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native started in all 22 matches last season, racking up 1,557 total minutes and three game-winning goals, earning the primary assist on Jessie Halladay’s game-winning goal in the 89th minute of the Big West Championship match. She was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team and garnered All-Big West honors for the third time in her career, securing a spot on the First Team for the first time.
Entering the 2026 season, Smith has started in 31 consecutive matches for the Mustangs, appearing in 61 matches across her career, and recording 59 starts, 16 goals, seven assists and 94 shots across 3,830 minutes played.
Cal Poly hosts Pepperdine at 6 p.m. Thursday for an exhibition match to wrap up preseason play. Admission is free to the match at Mustang Memorial Field. The Mustangs officially open their 2026 season at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, when they host UNLV at Spanos Stadium as part of a four-match homestand to begin the year. Cal Poly is slated to host preseason No. 1 Stanford at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 16, in a rematch of last year’s NCAA First Round matchup between the two sides that saw the Cardinal win 3-1 in Palo Alto.
Season tickets for the 2026 Cal Poly women’s soccer season are available now HERE and single-match tickets for all 10 home games are also on sale.
This fall, the Mustangs are looking to build off one of their most successful seasons in program history under second-year head coach Bernardo Silva. that saw Cal Poly capture its fourth Big West Tournament Championship in program history and 14th Big West title overall in Bernardo Silva’s first year at the helm. The Mustangs return 16 letterwinners from their 2025 squad that captured the program’s fourth Big West Tournament Championship. In addition to the crop of experienced returners, Cal Poly added nine talented transfers over the offseason to join six incoming freshmen, bolstering its roster to make another run at the NCAA Tournament and defend its Big West Championship crown.
