OEC Favorites Have A Familiar Look

The 2026 women's soccer season is weeks away from starting and the Orange Empire Conference Sports Information Directors took the time to make their predictions for the upcoming season. Saddleback, Santiago Canyon, and Cypress were tabbed as the early favorites to win the conference title.

The Orange Empire Conference (OEC) is coming off another sensational season when two programs represented Southern California at the 3C2A State Tournament in Santiago Canyon and Golden West. Both went down in defeat to eventual state champion Sierra College, but once again the conference proved its depth as Santiago Canyon was a second-place finisher in the conference standings while Golden West finished in fifth place before a magnificent run in the playoffs.

Saddleback was voted as the top team in the conference by the sports information directors to start the season. The Bobcats garnered six of the eight first place votes in the poll and were listed no lower than second on any ballot. 

Saddleback has history on its side as it has won the past three OEC titles. The Bobcats have a number of pieces in place from a year ago. Saddleback welcomes back three All-Orange Empire Conference selections from last year, including forward McKenna Pugh (pictured) and midfielder Araylia Holiday. Saddleback is also excited about a number of newcomers that have looked good during the spring and summer, including forward Karen Contreras (California HS).

Santiago Canyon picked up the other two first place votes and finished in second place in the preseason ballots.  The Hawks finished no lower than third on any ballot and have a long history to support their case. SCC has won four state championships and 16 conference titles since 2004, including 15 straight Orange Empire Conference championships from 2004-2018. Last season SCC advanced to the final four and is hoping a mix of returners along with some promising freshmen can get them back for a second straight season. Santiago Canyon welcomes back defenders Melanie Salazar (pictured) and Faith Ammann, which should give it one of the best back lines in the state. They also welcome transfer goalkeeper Layla Cash from Orange Coast, which will make it even tougher to score against the Hawks.

Cypress got shut out of the first-place votes but finished a comfortable third in the preseason voting. The Chargers made it to the state tournament in both 2023 and 2024 and have been an eyelash from capturing the big prize over the past decade. Cypress welcomes back defender Alexa Green (pictured) and forward Layla Valle, giving Cypress good leadership at both ends of the field. They are also excited about newcomer Joslyn Dawes (Temescal Canyon HS), who should be another added weapon on offense for the Chargers.

Inter-district rivals Orange Coast and Golden West battled it out for fourth place in the preseason poll, with Orange Coast edging Golden West despite the fact that the Rustlers made it all the way to the state finals last season. 

Orange Coast finished three points ahead of Golden West on the strength of one third place vote and five fourth place votes. OCC had a great finish last fall when they went 15-5-4 overall and were just an eyelash out of second place in the OEC standings. The Pirates had the top scoring duo in the state last fall in Chantelle Sanchez (18) and Olivia Hostetler (16) as the dynamic duo combined for 34 goals for the year. Sanchez signed early with Cal State Los Angeles, but Hostetler is expected to return to give the Pirates a solid option up front.

Golden West finished fifth in the standings a year ago but proved that depth in the conference was as good as it gets when it reeled off five straight wins in the playoffs, including a win over Saddleback in the regional finals.  The Rustlers return a ton of talent and will be sophomore-heavy with close to 20 players that were on last season's roster. Alexandra Ortenzo is the leading returning goal-scorer for GWC, but the Rustlers will have to replace a couple of solid defenders lost to graduation after a season when they had 20 shutouts for the year.

Irvine Valley, Fullerton and Santa Ana round out the voting for the Preseason SID's Poll.

Irvine Valley had its best finish in years in 2025 when it finished above .500 overall (11-9-1) for the first time since 2014.  In fact, the Lasers closed on a 3-1-1 streak to end of the season, including a win over Golden West and a tie with Cypress.  IVC had a sophomore-heavy team in 2025, so we will have to wait and see if the recent success turned into recruiting success during the offseason.

Fullerton had a tough time putting the ball in the back of the net last season as the Hornets managed just 14 goals all season and were shut out 13 times. The good news is, leading scorer Edie Pfefferkorn returns to give the Hornets some experience up front.

Santa Ana is ready to put 2025 behind them and get things started in a different direction.  The Dons had an all-freshman lineup in 2025 and struggled on both ends of the pitch without veteran leadership. Santa Ana now heads into the season with a sophomore-heavy roster, looking to prove the pollsters wrong after finishing in last in the preseason poll.

The 2026 season starts in the final week of August with Irvine Valley, Golden West, Fullerton and Orange Coast kicking the season off for the OEC in non-conference play on August 28. Orange Empire Conference play starts on September 29.

Sports Information Director's Poll

(Courtesy of Brad Hoiseth, Orange Empire Conference)