ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The Drake women's soccer program is set to open its 2026 season this week, and the Bulldogs were picked No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, the league announced on Tuesday.
 
Drake, the defending MVC regular season champions, received 96 total points in the poll with seven first place votes. Illinois State was voted second with 83 points and two first place votes, while UIC, the 2025 MVC Tournament champions, finished third with 77 points. Murray State, who was voted fourth with 69 points, was the other program to receive one first place vote.
 
Along with the first-place preseason nod, the Bulldogs also had four players named to the All-Preseason Team. Isabella Balsley, Angela Gutierrez, Zoey Mahoney, and Alanna Pennington were all recognized by the league.

Following a MVC Third Team All-Conference Selection last year, Balsley, a junior forward from Johnston, Iowa, appeared in 17 matches and made four starts in 2025 compiling 13 points off six goals, the second most on the team, and one assist. Four of her goals came in league play, which tied for the most goals against conference opponents in 2025.

A fellow MVC Third Team All-Conference selection last year, Gutierrez appeared in all 19 matches and made 14 starts for the Bulldogs registering nine points with two goals and a team-leading five assists.

Mahoney, a senior from Waukee, was a MVC Second Team All-Conference selection in 2025 following a season with 19 appearances and 17 starts. She scored two goals both of which were game-winners and added one assist while bolstering a Bulldog backline that produced seven shutouts on the season.

Pennington heads into her senior campaign following a stellar first season in Des Moines after transferring from Western Illinois. In 2025, the Ankeny product was a MVC First Team All-Conference selection and two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week. She appeared in 17 matches and made 12 starts scoring one goal all while anchoring the Drake defense.

The full list of Preseason Team and the top-six poll selections can be found below.

The Bulldogs begin the regular season with a pair of road games in 2026, first taking on Wyoming on August 13 followed by a date with Colorado College on Sunday, Aug. 16.

2026 MVC Women's Soccer Preseason Team
F - Isabella Balsley, Drake
F - Breece Bass, Murray State
F – Taylor Johnson, Evansville
M/F - Laken Whittington, Belmont
M - Kiara Desiderio, Valparaiso
M - Angela Gutierrez, Drake
M - Emmy Higgins, UIC
D - Guliana Balistreri, Southern Illinois
D - Zoey Mahoney, Drake
D - Riley Mathews, Indiana State
D - Alanna Pennington, Drake
D - Grace Petrie, Illinois State
GK - Madi Valenti, Illinois State
 
2026 MVC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Drake (7) .. 96
2. Illinois State (2) .. 83
3. UIC .. 77
4. Murray State (1) .. 69
5. Southern Illinois .. 59
6. Indiana State .. 58