Butler women's soccer co-head coaches Tari St. John and Rob Alman are excited for the 2026 season as 12 Bulldog veterans are joined by three transfer student-athletes and 10 freshmen to complete a new-look roster. Junior Chloe Brecht, who received All-BIG EAST accolades in 2025 and was named to the 2026 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, will help lead a young and talented squad.
 
St. John is beginning her 21^st season at the helm of the program, while Alman is entering his 15^th. Together with assistant coaches Alex Collier '15 and Joe Sochacki, they are preparing the team for a challenging slate of fixtures this fall.
 
The 2026 season opened with a pair of home exhibitions against Eastern Michigan and UIC. The regular season begins with a road match at Wright State followed by the opening home match versus Ball State (Aug. 20). The non-conference portion of the schedule includes addition matches hosting Northwestern (Aug. 30), Central Michigan (Sept. 13), and Western Illinois (Sept. 19) along with road matches at Miami (Ohio), St. Thomas, and IU Indy.
 
The Bulldogs shift to BIG EAST competition on Sept. 26 as Marquette visits the Butler campus. The Dawgs will also host St. John's (Oct. 7), Georgetown (Oct. 17), Villanova (Oct. 24), and Xavier (Nov. 7), and Butler will travel to Seton Hall, DePaul, Creighton, UConn, and Providence.
 
Forwards
Sophomore Alyssa Carlson was one of three Bulldogs to score three or more goals last season. She, along with junior Macy Malecki, redshirt-sophomore Riley Gumm, and sophomore Lily Kiliski are joined by freshmen Elise May and Sarah Monnin atop the offensive formation.
 
Midfielders
A trio of returning veterans -- junior Chloe Brecht and sophomores Cecelia Simion and Kate Malin -- are joined by senior transfer Isabella Ayau. Redshirt-freshman Kylie Secoda also returns after missing last season due to injury. Incoming freshmen who are expected to contribute in the center of the pitch are Lola Pepper, Emma Hamelmann and Maren Swan.
 
Defenders
Veteran defenders who are returning for the Bulldogs include junior Gemma Gillespie, who started all 17 matches last season and tallied a goal and an assist, along with sophomores Maren Degenhart and Sarah Beth Sizemore. A trio of freshmen -- Chrissy Graves, Kensey Teffner and Elsa Maurer -- will also assist in the defensive line.
 
Goalkeepers
Sophomore Addison Ash, who started all 17 matches last season, returns between the pipes to anchor a trio of goalkeepers. Ash is joined by redshirt-freshman Julia Lorenzi and freshman Alexi Mumford.
 
Junior Ceilidh Whynott and freshman Claire Pingel sustained season-ending injuries this summer and will redshirt the 2026 season.