Women's Soccer

Landmark Announces All-Conference Teams for the 2026 Women's Soccer Season

TOWSON, Md. - The Landmark Conference has announced its 2026 Women's Soccer major award winners, recognizing the outstanding performances displayed throughout the season. Catholic University leads the way with Caroline Aponte earning Offensive Player of the Year, Alex Berish taking home Defensive Player of the Year, and the Cardinals' coaching staff receiving Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Elizabethtown College's Linnet Laiser rounds out the major awards as Rookie of the Year following an impressive debut season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Caroline Aponte (Catholic University)
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Berish (Catholic University)
Rookie of the Year: Linnet Laiser (Elizabethtown College)
Coaching Staff of the Year: Catholic University 

Caroline Aponte, Offensive Player of the Year
Caroline Aponte earns Offensive Player of the Year honors following an impressive 2026 campaign. Aponte led the Cardinals, recording a team-high six goals and 13 points, while adding one assist in 17 appearances. Aponte delivered several standout performances, including a two-goal, one-assist effort against Neumann and a two-goal performance in a 2-0 conference victory over Elizabethtown. Her offensive contributions helped Catholic secure the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament following an unbeaten 7-0-2 conference record. A 2025 First Team All-Landmark selection, Aponte is the second Catholic women’s soccer student-athlete to be recognized as Offensive Player of the Year, and the first since 2015, when Lindsay Aleman was honored.

Alex Berish, Defensive Player of the Year
Alex Berish earns Defensive Player of the Year honors following an outstanding 2026 campaign. Berish anchored one of the conference's most dominant defensive units, starting all 18 matches and logging an impressive 1,599 minutes on the field. Her leadership and defensive presence helped the Cardinals record 13 shutouts while allowing just seven goals all season, good for a remarkable 0.38 goals-against average. Berish played a crucial role in Catholic's undefeated 7-0-2 Landmark Conference campaign, helping the Cardinals surrender just one goal in nine conference matches while securing the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. She also contributed offensively, scoring a goal in Catholic's 8-0 victory over Goucher. A three-time All-Landmark selection, Berish joins Helene Nicoletti (2009) and Tricia Colucci (2014) as Defensive Players of the Year for the Cardinals.

Linnet Laiser, Rookie of the Year
Linnet Laiser earns Rookie of the Year honors following a standout debut season in 2026. Laiser made an immediate impact on the Blue Jays' attack, leading the team with six goals, two assists, and 14 points across 18 appearances, including 17 starts. She also recorded three game-winning goals and led the conference with 10 points in Landmark play, establishing herself as one of the league's most promising young offensive talents. Laiser's breakout performance came in a commanding 7-1 victory over Goucher, where she recorded her first career hat trick and added two assists for a conference single-game high of eight points, earning Landmark Conference Offensive Athlete of the Week honors. She also delivered the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Stevenson and helped Elizabethtown secure the No. 5 seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament. Laiser is the first Blue Jay women’s soccer student-athlete since 2019 to be named Rookie of the Year, joining Trinity Soto.

Catholic University, Coaching Staff of the Year
Catholic University's women's soccer coaching staff earns Coaching Staff of the Year honors after guiding the Cardinals to a memorable 2026 season. Under the direction of head coach Casey Sommers, Catholic captured an unbeaten 7-0-2 conference record, earning the top seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals' success was built on a relentless defensive identity, surrendering just one goal in nine conference contests while posting eight shutouts. Catholic also proved effective on the attacking end, scoring 18 goals against Landmark opponents. Sommers and her staff pick up their first Coaching Staff of the Year since taking over the team. It is also the third overall honor for the Cardinals women’s soccer program.

All-Landmark First Team
Position Name School Year Previous Honors
Forward Reagan O'Mara Catholic Sophomore 
Forward Riley Bent Drew  Sophomore 
Forward Jenna Borelli Scranton Senior 2025 First Team; 2025 OPOTY
Midfielder Caroline Aponte Catholic Junior 2025 First Team 
Midfielder Sara Greaser Catholic Sophomore 
Midfielder Ella Reyngoudt Drew Senior
Midfielder Natalia Dobush  Scranton Junior
Defender Alex Berish Catholic Senior 2025 First Team; 2024 Second Team
Defender Kelsie Price Catholic Senior
Defender Aileen Carr Scranton Junior 2025 First Team; 2025 DPOTY; 2024 First Team; 2024 ROTY
Defender Addison Van Lenten Scranton Junior 2025 Second Team 
Goalkeeper Katie Henchy Susquehanna Junior 2025 First Team
All-Landmark Second Team
Position Name School Year Previous Honors
Forward Linnet Laiser Elizabethtown First-Year
Forward Amelia Kopp Susquehanna Junior
Midfielder Sophia Hogan Elizabethtown  Sophomore 
Midfielder Emma Hull Moravian Sophomore
Midfielder Ava Billmeyer Susquehanna Junior 2025 Second Team
Midfielder Ella Briggs Susquehanna Junior
Defender Bianca Anghelache Drew Senior
Defender Reagan Bleiler Moravian Senior
Defender Macy McFarland Moravian First-Year
Defender Maesie Baker Susquehanna Senior
Goalkeeper Lauren Creamer Catholic Sophomore 
Goalkeeper Sarah Crowley Drew Senior 2023 ROTY
All-Landmark Honorable Mention
Position Name School Year Previous Honors
Goalkeeper Delaney Yaracs Wilkes Junior
Defender Ella Fasnacht Elizabethtown  Junior