COSTA MESA -- Four years on from starting her Vanguard journey, head women's soccer coach Emily Reynolds has beheld peaks and valleys in her early coaching career.  From making the team's final Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament to an 11th-place finish in the Pacific West Conference in year one, her squad finished 6-7-3 overall last year and moved up to seventh in the league with a 4-4-2 mark.  As the skipper continues to make her impact on the program via recruiting and culture, the Lions have been pegged to finish fifth in 2026, though being left just outside of tournament qualification has the squad eager to prove they can jump that hurdle.

"I think it communicates to the team that we're in it.  Like, we are obviously in the poll, and we are one out of the conference tournament, but I think it shows that we're right there, and I think it will light a bit of a fire.  Like, we're going to go jump somebody to get there.  Exciting times!"

While nine players moved on from VU, including All-PacWest and All-Region player Rachel Penick, 19 players return for the Blue and Gold in the new school year, keeping the knowledge base of the system intact.  Yet at the same time, 12 freshmen have joined the roster, requiring some of them to fill vacated minutes starting Thursday.  There is plenty of confidence in the new class, though, and Coach Reynolds is pleased with how they have integrated with the returners.

 "A great group.  I mean, it has been just a couple of weeks together as a team, but the returners have done a great job of welcoming them in and bringing them into the culture.  But they bring a lot of fun and to the field."

 Regardless of all the new faces, the target for 2026 is more than just the fun and culture, but those top-four positions.

"I think a huge focus of ours in the spring was looking back at the previous season and reflecting on what worked well and then, where do we want to go?  We spent a lot of time developing our mindset and mentality because I think as our soccer piece has grown, that's the next step for us to break into the conference tournament or the national tournament.  And that is our mindset and our character.  We're always championship-minded and want to go compete for a PacWest title."

New to the scene are Jennifer Alvarez and Vanessa Pastrana, newcomers who could fill the offensive hole created by the entire starting front rank graduating last spring.  Pastrana had 22 goals as a junior and potted 41 as a three-year starter for Estancia High School, which is just down the road from Vanguard.  She was a First Team All-Conference player each season and got League Player of the Year honors, along with county and regional rewards during that junior campaign.  Alvarez, meanwhile, was the team MVP at Don Lugo HS in the Chino area and slotted 20 goals her senior year.

Those entering year number one in the midfield have their work cut out for them, as six of the remaining 10 players could line up in the middle of the park.  Abby Trujillo, Mia Ochoa, Mikaila Aina, Meilani Navarro, Naia Kaulukukui, and Aneala Sibayan have the task of potentially ousting a returner for a starting role, and Reynolds understands that takes some time.

 "This beginning portion [of the season], working them into the system, and some review for the returners obviously, of how we like to play, but some work for the incomers of like, what does our style of play look like?  How do we handle different situations?  That's the biggest task at the moment is getting us all on the same page."

Trujillo was the league MVP her senior year for Western Christian in Upland, as was Ochoa at Los Osos in Fontana, with those two being the most decorated of the group.  The other big highlight from that group comes from Navarro, who had the privilege of scoring the winning shootout goal to cinch her team's division state title in Hawaii.  Natasja Riglos, another islander, stacks up with Emily Diep and Lucy Cuevas on defense for the freshman class.  Like Navarro, Diep had a hand in a state title, as her Rosary Academy team in Cerritos went undefeated and she got First Team All-League honors.  Both Riglos and Kaulukukui were on the same team that made a run in the Hawaiian State Tournament for their Kamehameha Schools Maui side.  With seven total Hawaiians now on the roster, Vanguard could field more than half the lineup from the islands.

The defense on the rest of the lineup card looks similar to what was on the field in 2025, though Coach Reynolds indicated that some players are featuring in new places.  On paper, any combination of Kalena Yamashita, Hannah Caira, Audrey Swanis, Megan Charley, and Lily Fama, who all started for the Blue and Gold throughout last season, is on the table.  Swanis and Charley dealt with injuries throughout the season, but both are healthy now, while the other three logged heavy minutes and drew every start.  Beatrice Johnson is a captain this year and can push for minutes, while Emily Wagner, Kyra Binstock, and Caelyn Armijo are the other returning defenders rostered for this season.

Kate Burns leads the recurring midfield group, as the now-sophomore had three goals and three helpers in year one for nine points, putting her second on the team.  Meanwhile, both Kaitlyn Currier and Hailey Garvin delivered equal results last season with two goals and one assist in addition to playing in every game.  Avery Hanhauser rarely left the field last fall, ending as one of seven players who logged over 1,000 minutes, and she has good odds to do so again as a defensive midfielder.  Lindsey Hiraki did not see a start in 2025, but played in every game, and could move into a starting role in her second season. 

Two returners and the lone transfer for the Lions ply their trade at the forward position, as Kaylee Cuttress joins Jaylen Kinong and Adiah Edwardson as the veteran strikers.  Cuttress has two seasons with the Nighthawks of Northwest Nazarene under her belt and had seven shots in 2025.  Edwardson featured in five games last year and has two career goals, while Kinong has moved into the role after being in the defense corps the past few seasons.  

In goal, VU has three returners and one newcomer to contest for the lone keeper job.  The net was Olivia Weidner's for the first eight games of the year, and she stopped 20 shots and had a goals-against average of 1.00.  Josselyne Navarrete started the next eight games and faced more shots (88-69) than Weidner and made 31 saves for a GAA of 1.38.  Each was credited with three wins and shutouts and could be on the way to splitting time again.  However, Grayton Normand begins her senior year and wants to get her first start, while Emily Evano is the freshman of the positional group who played at Los Alamitos High School. 

VU has a stacked home slate in 2026, with 10 games on the new home turf.  UC Merced kicks off the 2026 year with a 1:30 p.m. match on Thursday, with CSU Dominguez Hills and San Bernardino following that.  Both CSU San Marcos and CSULA received votes in the opening coaches' poll, which are the two away tests for the Lions during the opening month of the season. 

 "It's always fun to trade back and forth", remarked Reynolds on the early part of the docket.  "San Marcos, Dominguez, Cal State LA, those are teams we've seen every year, and it's always tough competition.  So, that will be fun.  And we haven't played Simon Fraser before, and that is a good side, so, a good test for us."

PacWest play begins at home with Westmont on September 23, with the trio of Hawaii schools coming in the wake of the Warriors.  After traveling to CUI, Jessup, Dominican, and PLNU, Vanguard concludes with Biola at home on October 28.

"I think it is fun to open with Westmont.  That is always a good competition for us…and we have a lot of history going back to the GSAC days and always competing there.  We had a great game last year, so it's fun to open up and battle with them.  And then, whenever the Hawaii teams come, that's grueling because you play a lot of games in a short amount of time," relayed the coach.

And the season does not stop rolling until, if everything pans out, the Lions are standing on the field in Hilo for the player introductions for the PacWest Tournament.  While hopping over Dominican, the fourth-placed team in the preseason poll, is just one win on paper, there is more to secure than just that one match.  With plenty of home games at hand and plenty of positivity surrounding the program, watch Vanguard women's soccer rise in 2026.