Cleveland.com Ohio boys soccer Top 20: Where things stand heading into the season

CLEVELAND, Ohio — After another season that produced first-time champions, repeat title winners and dramatic state-final finishes, Ohio enters the 2026 girls soccer season with no shortage of contenders. Division I powers Upper Arlington, Seton and Walsh Jesuit remain among the state’s elite, while Bay, Summit Country Day and Madeira look to extend championship runs that have become the standard in their respective divisions.These rankings balance returning talent, program pedigree and postseason success, with a particular emphasis on teams that bring back proven impact players. From returning All-Ohio standouts such as Abby Witkiewicz, Lauren Vaughn, Reese Brickwood and Emma McTigue to programs coming off state championship appearances, the path to Columbus once again appears loaded. Here are Ohio’s Top 20 girls soccer teams entering the 2026 season.20. Beavercreek2025-26 record and finish: 13-5-2; Division I tournament team.Beavercreek enters the season with one of Division I’s better defensive anchors in Audri Lewis. The All-Ohio defender gives the Beavers a proven piece around which to build, and last season’s 13-win campaign showed they could compete with quality opposition. Beavercreek may not have the postseason résumé of some teams above it, but a veteran defense gives the Beavers a chance to climb.19. Marietta2025-26 record and finish: 17-3-1; lost in the Division III regional final.Grace Spencer gives Marietta one of the better returning forwards in Division III. The Tigers won 17 games last season and consistently found ways to score, and Spencer will once again be counted on to drive the attack. Marietta may not have the postseason résumé of some teams around it, but proven scoring production is always difficult to ignore.18. Cincinnati Sycamore2025-26 record and finish: 11-6-2; lost in the Division I district final.Sycamore has one of Division I’s best returning forwards in Estelle Murphy. The Aviators were competitive throughout a difficult schedule last season and reached the postseason before eventually falling to state runner-up Cincinnati Seton. Murphy gives Sycamore a legitimate game-changing attacker and one of the strongest reasons for optimism entering the new season.17. Dublin Jerome2025-26 record and finish: 12-2-4; lost in the Division I regional semifinals.Jerome returns Blake Sobczak, who earned All-Ohio honors as a sophomore and quickly established herself among the better attacking players in central Ohio. The Celtics lost only two matches last season and should once again be difficult to break down defensively. With Sobczak back leading the offense, Jerome has a chance to climb significantly higher.16. Lebanon2025-26 record and finish: 11-5-3; lost in the Division I district final.Lebanon jumps into the Top 20 because it returns one of the better attacking players in Division I. Abby Nisonger earned All-Ohio honors as a junior and gives the Warriors a proven scorer to build around entering 2026. Lebanon did not make a deep tournament run last fall, but teams with returning Division I All-Ohio forwards are always worth paying attention to.15. Strongsville2025-26 record and finish: 14-5-3; Division I regional finalist.Strongsville loses All-Ohio midfielder Paige Kudla, but the Mustangs have built one of Northeast Ohio’s most consistent Division I programs. Last season included tournament wins over Medina and several strong regular-season results before a regional final loss to Perrysburg. Even with key departures, Strongsville will always be in the conversation in Division I. 14. Hudson2025-26 record and finish: 19-1-1; Division II state runner-up.Hudson reached its first state final in more than two decades and finished the year with only one loss. The Explorers lose several major contributors from that group, including multiple All-Ohio selections, which is why they are not higher. Still, coming off a state-final appearance with several key players like Alyssa Maniar, Hannah Meese, Molly Grady and Abby Filipovitz back, the Explorers deserve serious consideration until proven otherwise.13. Wheelersburg2025-26 record and finish: 14-4; lost in the Division IV District Final.Few teams in Ohio can match Wheelersburg’s returning All-Ohio talent. Ella Hochstetler and Ella McGraw are both back after earning all-state recognition, giving the Pirates two proven playmakers from a team that won 14 games a season ago. Last year’s tournament exit came earlier than expected, but the talent returning to the roster makes Wheelersburg a legitimate Division IV contender.12. Sunbury Big Walnut2025-26 record and finish: 13-4-3; lost in the Division II tournament.Big Walnut returns Anna McGough, one of Division II’s top returning forwards. The Golden Eagles also had multiple all-state caliber players last season, and the program continues to make postseason appearances. With McGough back leading the attack, Big Walnut remains a legitimate Division II threat.11. Massillon Jackson2025-26 record and finish: 11-8-1; lost in the Division I regional semifinals.Jackson may have the most exciting young player in Ohio girls soccer. Reese Brickwood earned All-Ohio honors as a freshman and gives the Polar Bears a dynamic midfielder around whom the entire team can be built. Jackson’s overall record does not jump off the page, but the Polar Bears won a district title and reached the regional semifinals. With a year of varsity experience under her belt, Brickwood and the Polar Bears enter the season with much higher expectations.10. Springboro2025-26 record and finish: 16-3-1; lost in the Division I regional semifinal.Springboro enters the season with a clear centerpiece in Keira Buckholtz. The All-Ohio midfielder was only a sophomore last season and helped lead the Panthers to 16 victories and a regional semifinal appearance. Springboro came within a goal of taking eventual state runner-up Seton to overtime in the postseason, and there is enough returning talent around Buckholtz to believe the Panthers can challenge the state’s top tier.9. Medina2025-26 record and finish: 15-1-3; lost in the Division I regional semifinal.Medina has one of the state’s most intriguing young stars in Emma McTigue. The forward earned All-Ohio honors as a freshman and enters this season as one of the top returning attacking players in Division I. The Bees won 15 games and reached the regional semifinals last season, and with McTigue now carrying another year of experience, Medina looks capable of taking another step forward.8. Cincinnati Madeira2025-26 record and finish: 18-4-1; Division V state champion.Madeira took another state title home last season, but this year’s team will look different after Division V Player of the Year Natasha Davis’ graduation. The good news is that All-Ohio defender Mason Mueller returns for her senior year. Madeira has reached three consecutive state Final Fours, won back-to-back championships and continues to reload rather than rebuild.7. Summit Country Day2025-26 record and finish: 22-0-2; Division IV state champion.The Silver Knights completed an undefeated season and captured a third straight state title, but replacing Mia Stevens could determine how their season unfolds this fall. Even so, programs that know how to win championships tend to remain dangerous. Summit Country Day has earned the benefit of the doubt until somebody knocks it off.6. Anthony Wayne2025-26 record and finish: 19-0-3; Division II state champion.Anthony Wayne’s breakthrough season ended with the first state championship in program history. Lydia Smucker, who scored all three goals in the state final, is gone, but the confidence and experience gained from an undefeated championship run cannot be ignored. The Generals have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Division II.5. Perrysburg2025-26 record and finish: 17-2-2; Division I state semifinalist.Perrysburg lost major All-Ohio talent in Camille Francis and Emma Ogdahl, but few programs have been as consistently successful over the past decade. The Yellow Jackets won another regional title last season and reached the state semifinals before running into Upper Arlington. History says Perrysburg will reload rather than rebuild.4. Walsh Jesuit2025-26 record and finish: 11-7-1; lost to Perrysburg in the Division I tournament.Walsh Jesuit didn’t make a deep playoff run last season, but the Warriors still return one of the state’s best attacking players in Abby Witkiewicz. The junior forward gives Walsh a true difference-maker capable of changing matches on her own. Between that star power and the program’s history of competing at the highest level, the Warriors remain a legitimate championship threat.3. Cincinnati Seton2025-26 record and finish: 13-3-6; Division I state runner-up.Seton was one goal away from a state championship and is likely eyeballing a return trip with one of Ohio’s best defenders, Lauren Vaughn, leading the way. The Saints have consistently been among the state’s premier programs, and Vaughn gives them a proven all-state piece around which to build. Seton once again looks equipped to make a run through Division I.2. Upper Arlington2025-26 record and finish: 19-1-2; Division I state champion.Upper Arlington won its first state title last season in Division I, and the Golden Bears have enough pieces in place to do it again. Goalkeeper Alina Montero is back after helping anchor one of the state’s best defenses, while Taylor Whetzel emerged as one of the program’s rising stars during the postseason. The defending Division I champions have enough talent to make another championship push.1. Bay2025-26 record and finish: 17-3-2; Division III state champion.Bay enters the season with as strong a returning profile as anyone in Ohio. The Rockets bring back All-Ohio midfielder Anna Weingait, return key contributors from a back-to-back state championship team and still have young players developing into larger roles. Freshman Meg Webster scored the winning goal in last year’s state final, while Olivia Ruma returns in goal. When a program already knows how to win championships and brings back that much experience, it’s difficult to rank anyone else first.On the bubbleAvon, Hathaway Brown, Cardinal Mooney, Copley, Archbishop Hoban, Delaware Hayes.