LOS ANGELES -- The LMU women's soccer team looks to continue to build on the strong foundation of the
Chris Chamides era after amassing 17 wins over the previous two seasons. The 2026 season will see a team that blends new faces with returning experience.
The Lions will open the season with an exhibition against UCLA on the road on Wednesday, August 5 before the season opener at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, August 12.
The Lions welcome five impact transfers and seven first years to pair with 18 returners. LMU returners accounted for nearly two thirds of the total minutes from last season.
0 | Myley Markley | GK | Freshman | Liberal Studies
Markley enters her collegiate career hailing from Homestead High School in Sunnyvale, Calif. Earned three varsity letters and was named First Team All-SCVAL De Anza League four times, League MVP twice and Team MVP three times. Team won back-to-back CIF Central Coast Sections championships during her sophomore and junior seasons, both without allowing a goal.
1 | JJ Hoover | GK | Senior | Psychology
Hoover has made 46 starts in three seasons for the Lions, posting 12 clean sheets as well as 22 during her tenure. She made 104 saves last season to the tune of an .806 save percentage, her best season to date. Hoover will look to continue to climb the LMU record books as she now stands 6th all-time in total saves, 9th in goals against average, 7th in shutouts, and 6th in goalkeeper wins.
2 | Taylor Person | MF | Junior | Health and Human Sciences
Person returns after starting all 17 matches during her debut season on the bluff. She assisted on the game winning goal in the opening match against UC Santa Barbara last season and scored her first collegiate goal against Columbia to open the scoring on August 31. She will look to continue adding width along with passing and scoring ability going into the 2026 season.
3 | Ane Nordby-Joergensen | D | Freshman | Finance
Nordby-Jorgensen joins LMU as now one of three Norwegians to bring their presence to the bluff. She competed for the last four seasons in the Toppserien, the highest division of association football in Norway winning titles in 2023 and 2024 and reaching the cup semifinal in 2025. Nordby-Jorgensen is a Norwegian youth international and has earned more than 30 caps for the youth national team.
4 | Emma Gustad Myklebust | D | Redshirt-Junior | Mechanical Engineering
Gustad Myklebust enters her third season of competition after stellar marks in her first two competitive seasons. She has started 35 straight matches in central defense while being a presence on the offensive end as well. She has recorded five assists and three goals with a game winner against UC Riverside in 2025. Gustad Myklebust is the undeniable leader of the team and will be looked to in a leadership role as the season progresses.
5 | Izzy Smith | D | Senior | Health and Human Sciences
Smith started 16 of 17 games in 2025 for the Lions mostly in a wing back role. She is known as an excellent crosser and her delivery into the box against UC Riverside ended up leading to the penalty shot that won the game. Smith has been solid in defense and will look to help anchor a backline that may be the best of the Chamides era.
6 | Kate Kubiak | MF | Redshirt-Sophomore | Business
Kubiak joins the Lions after a season at Oregon in which she made 11 appearances and two starts. Kubiak will add depth to the midfield and will look to draw upon her defensive pedigree to hold teams scoreless. Prior to competing at Oregon, Kubiak won the Sunset League Defensive MVP award while at Newport Harbor High School.
7 | Kaela Standish | MF | Senior | Foundations of Management Certificate
Standish joins LMU after competing for a season at Florida in which she made three appearances. Prior to her time as a Gator, Standish made 35 appearances at Utah, scoring three goals over two seasons. Standish will slide right into a midfield role and look to be the connector between the forwards and the backline as the Lions progress while in possession.
8 | Alaina Lee | MF | Sophomore | Civil Engineering
Lee is your classic box-to-box midfielder that does a little bit of everything on the pitch. Lee played in 15 matches as a freshman, recording 12 starts and was constantly around the ball whether in or out of possession. Lee recorded one assist last season, nearly scoring but setting up her teammate with an easy tap in.
9 | Elise Bolanos | MF | Redshirt-Freshman | Journalism
Bolanos's first season was cut short with an injury but she will be back with a vengeance in 2026. Bolanos is heralded as one of the most talented players on the pitch and she displayed exactly what her capabilities are in an exhibition against UC Irvine in 2025 with top shelf goal from outside the box. Bolanos will be looked to as an offensive catalyst and will use her speed and touch to set others up and score some herself in the upcoming season.
11 | Malia Suehiro | MF | Sophomore | Civil Engineering
Suehiro appeared in 15 matches off the bench in her first year on the bluff. Suehiro is known for her dribbling ability and will be looked to as a progressive offensive player that provides driving and width. Suehiro recorded 10 shots during her inaugural season and will look to add more in 2026.
12 | Addie Wikstrom | MF | Redshirt-Sophomore | Marketing
Wikstrom made her debut against Gonzaga in 2025 and will look to continue that trajectory with more playing time in 2026. Wikstrom was a four-year standout at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, Utah where she took home second team All-State honors during her senior season.
13 | Cameron Bourne | MF | Senior | Business
Bourne started all 17 games in her first season on the bluff after transferring from Oregon. She contributed to five goals, scoring once and assisting four times. Bourne plays in an advanced role and can pick perfect passes to set others up and has been known to take it herself every now and again as well. She will be looked to as one of the premier offensive outlets going into the 2026 season.
14 | Gabi Morgan | MF | Senior | Environmental Studies
Morgan enters her senior season as one of the most experienced voices in the LMU locker room after three years on the bluff. She has seen time in a reserve role each of the past two seasons, recording a season-high three shots in a win over Grand Canyon in 2024. A Seattle native out of Roosevelt High School, Morgan spent a decade with Seattle United before college and will look to carve out a bigger role in her final season with the Lions.
16 | Mia York | MF | Freshman | Health and Human Sciences
York arrives on the bluff as a true freshman out of Newbury Park, Calif., where she was a four-year standout at Newbury Park High School, earning Team Offensive MVP honors as both a freshman and sophomore. She served as a two-year captain with LAFC So Cal Youth and graduated as her high school's valedictorian. York will look to push for minutes in a crowded midfield as she begins her collegiate career.
17 | Sarah Melcher | D | Senior | Finance
Melcher joined the Lions last season after three years at TCU, where she scored two goals as a true freshman before an injury cut short her sophomore campaign. She has yet to see the field on the bluff, but the two-time captain and three-time team MVP out of Academy of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego brings a wealth of experience and adds quality depth to LMU's back line as she looks for her first action in a Lions uniform this fall.
18 | Maddie Noland | D | Sophomore | Business Administration
Noland returns for her sophomore season after making her collegiate debut against UC Davis on Sept. 11, ultimately appearing in 12 matches with five starts and logging a season-high 80 minutes against Pepperdine and at Santa Clara to close the year. The Leawood, Kan., native was a two-time captain at St. Teresa's Academy, earning All-State honors as both a junior and senior. Noland will look to build on her freshman-year progress as a steady presence on the back line.
19 | Julia Zawal | MF | Freshman | Health and Human Sciences
Zawal becomes the third Norwegian on LMU's roster, joining the Lions as a true freshman out of Oslo after developing through the club ranks with Valerenga Fotball. She'll look to add another dynamic piece to a midfield already stocked with experience as she begins her collegiate career on the bluff.
20 | Lucrezia Sasso | F | Freshman | Accounting
Sasso arrives from Como, Italy, bringing six seasons of experience in the Inter Milan academy system before a stint with Lugano FC in 2025-26. A true freshman forward, she'll look to add scoring punch to the Lions' attack as she adjusts to the college game.
21 | Hailee Takao | MF | Sophomore | Business Administration
Takao returns for her sophomore campaign after appearing in eight matches off the bench in 2025, recording her lone assist of the season in a home win over Pacific on Oct. 18. The La Cañada, Calif., native was a senior captain at La Cañada High School and will look to carve out a larger role in the midfield rotation in her second season on the bluff.
22 | Brooke Juncaj | D | Redshirt Sophomore | Communications
Juncaj will be making her first appearance on the bluff after a season at Oregon in which she made six appearances. Juncaj will be looked to for support as one of those wide defensive backs in the Lions' system. She will be asked to maraud forward and deliver crosses as well as track back and stop opposing attacks.
23 | Maci Land | D | Junior | Finance
Land has been a staple in the starting lineup since her first day on campus. She has played in 34 matches, collecting 30 starts over that period. She was named to the WCC All-Freshman team during her first season when she recorded a goal and two assists. She has since moved into more of a central defensive role and will be one of those chess pieces for coach Chamides to use in his back line.
25 | Sophia Bastidos | MF | Freshman | Health and Human Sciences
Bastidos was a three-year letter winner at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego where they were named All-North County Coastal League as a senior. She is expected to slot right into the lineup and make an early impact on the bluff.
28 | Ava Mathieson | D | Junior | Mechanical Engineering
Mathieson continues her LMU career after playing a steady reserve role over her first two seasons, appearing in 25 games with an assist to her name — including a helper at Pacific on Sept. 28, 2024. The Walnut Creek, Calif., native was a two-year captain at Las Lomas High School, earning First Team All-League and the Knight Award for leadership as a senior. Off the field, Mathieson gives back to the game as a youth coach and a Special Needs soccer instructor with TOPSoccer.
30 | Sydney Schuler | MF | Junior | Marketing
Schuler will make her debut on Sullivan Field in 2026 after transferring after one season at Wake Forest. Schuler is a southern California native, graduating from JSerra Catholic High School in 2025, where she earned four varsity letters and was named First Team All-Trinity League as a junior and senior. Schuler will slot right into the reworked midfield and will look to be a scoring threat when on the ball.
31 | Aaliyah Bustamante | GK | Senior | Finance
Bustamante spent her first season on the bluff last fall behind fellow senior
JJ Hoover, arriving after two decorated seasons at Chapman where she earned SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2024 and posted a .635 save percentage across 15 starts. A fellow Homestead High School product alongside freshman
Myley Markley, the San Jose native won back-to-back Golden Glove Awards in high school and was ranked among the top goalkeepers in the ECNL Northern California Conference during her club career. Bustamante gives LMU proven depth in net as she looks to push for minutes in her second season with the program.
32 | Kennedy Swift | F | Redshirt Junior | Health and Human Sciences
Swift was listed as a defender going into last season, but that may have changed going into 2026 as the redshirt-junior scored on her first shot of the season against Santa Clara. It was her first collegiate goal, hopefully the first of many for the third-year Lion.
33 | Tatum O'Coyne | F | Senior | Certificate of Management
O'Coyne joins the Lions after a four-year career at Florida in which she appeared in 34 matches. Scored two goals in 2025 and assisted twice in 2023 for six career points. She will be looked to as a goalscorer going into 2026 at her new school.
37 | Tori McBride | D | Freshman | Marketing
McBride joins the Lions as a freshman out of Corona, Calif., where she helped Santiago High School capture a CIF-SS Open Division State Championship in 2025. She spent her club career with Legends FC, Sporting California and Patedores, earning Second Team All-Conference recognition in the ECNL Southwest in 2023. The daughter of two former UCLA student-athletes, McBride will look to bring instant depth to the backline as a freshman.
