BABSON PARK, Mass.—After advancing to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinals in three of the last four seasons, the Babson College women's soccer team was picked to finish third this fall when the NEWMAC released its 2026 preseason coaches' poll on Tuesday.
Reigning champion MIT received 11 of the 12 first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 121 points, followed by defending conference runner-up Springfield, which got the remaining top vote and finished second with 102 points. Babson came in third with 97 points, narrowly ahead of fourth-place Emerson (94), while WPI (78) and Wheaton (77) round out the top half of the poll.
Led by first-year head coach
Kerry Baldwin, the Beavers return 10 starters and 25 veterans from last year's squad that finished 8-5-5 overall and 7-3-1 in NEWMAC play. The Green and White have finished in the top four in the conference standings in each of the past five seasons, and advanced to the NEWMAC Tournament final in 2023.
The Beavers open the 2026 campaign with a pair of home games at Hartwell-Rogers Field, welcoming NYU on September 1 and Union on September 5. The NEWMAC debut comes in game six at home against Springfield on September 19.
2026 NEWMAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
|
| 1 |
MIT (11) |
121 |
| 2 |
Springfield (1) |
102 |
| 3 |
Babson |
97 |
| 4 |
Emerson |
94 |
| 5 |
WPI |
78 |
| 6 |
Wheaton |
77 |
| 7 |
Wellesley |
54 |
| 8 |
Clark |
53 |
| 9 |
Coast Guard |
50 |
| T-10. |
Salve Regina |
27 |
| T-10. |
Smith |
27 |
| 12 |
Mount Holyoke |
15 |
