The Bulldogs step into the role of conference favorites following a historic 2026 season. Picked first in last season's coaches' poll, the Bulldogs went undefeated in conference play, finishing 9-0-1 to win the first regular championship in program history. The Bulldogs set a new program record for conference winning percentage (.950) and allowed the fewest goals in a season in program history (11) with a program record of 0.61 goals against average.

After clearing that milestone last season, the Bulldogs have their sights set on their first SCAC Tournament championship and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The squad returns 61% of last season's goal and assists production. The SCAC Defensive Player of the Year Noelani Ajel (Cibolo/Steele) returns alongside fellow All-SCAC honorees Aliyah Fonseca (Harlingen/Harlingen), Natalia Cortez (Edinburg/Robert Vela), Lilly Noblett (San Antonio/Warren), Alysa Marquez (Miami, FL/Dr. Michael Krop), and Caitlin Roach (Houston/Manvel).

This year, four of TLU's 17 regular season opponents made the NCAA Tournament last season, as four of the Bulldogs nine non-conference matches will come against NCAA Tournament-caliber competition.

The top-picked Bulldogs play at home eight times across the months of August and September, beginning with their scrimmage against Texas A&M International on Sunday, August 23 followed by the season opener against UMHB on September 1 at 7:30 p.m. All games are free to the public.

For all updates on Texas Lutheran Women's Soccer, follow @tluwsoc on X (Twitter) and Instagram and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on X (Twitter), @tlu_athletics on Instagram and TikTok, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).

SCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

1.  Texas Lutheran – 79 (7)
2. St. Thomas - 62 (1)
3. Concordia - 61 (1)
4. Hendrix - 55
5. Austin College - 46
6. LeTourneau - 36
7. Dallas - 26
8. Ozarks - 24
9. Centenary - 11