NEWARK, Del. (November 7, 2026) – No. 1 seed Thomas Jefferson University scored four first-half goals on its way to a 5-0 victory over No. 3 seed Georgian Court University in the final round of the 2026 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women’s Soccer Championship tournament. The match was hosted by Wilmington University on Saturday afternoon at the WilmU Athletics Complex.
Jefferson, ranked No. 25 in the most recent national Division II coaches poll, outscored opponents, 9-0, in winning the CACC Championship for the second time in three years. The Rams earn the conference’s automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA D-II East Region Championship tournament. Jefferson has now won eight CACC titles since joining the league in 2005.
Senior Evelin Ventura-Garcia jump-started the Rams’ effort in Saturday’s final by scoring twice in the 18th minute. She opened the scoring with a takeaway and a shot from about 25 yards away and nearly straight-on to the upper right of the net. Fifty-one seconds later, her run from the right side was rewarded when Kyra Lesko sent a ball parallel to the goal line from the left which she finished with a single touch.
Jefferson eventually built a 24-1 shot advantage, receiving goals from Erika Murphy and Brooke Jones later in the first half and Laken Merchant in the closing minutes. Lesko finished with two assists for the Rams, who prevented Georgian Court from sweeping the day after the Lion men’s team won the conference championship game earlier on Saturday.
Ventura-Garcia was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, joining six teammates on the All-Tournament Team. The Rams became the first CACC women’s team since 2015 to win the conference title without allowing a goal in the tournament. That year, it was also Jefferson that accomplished the feat.
Full tournament results, as well as links to view championship photo albums and purchase championship apparel, are available at the CACC Championship Central webpage.
2026 CACC WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals – Sunday, November 1
#1 Jefferson 2, #8 Felician 0
#5 Chestnut Hill 1, #4 Holy Family 0
#2 Bridgeport 2, #7 Goldey-Beacom 0
#3 Georgian Court 2, #6 Dominican 0
Semifinals – Wednesday, November 4
Jefferson 2, Chestnut Hill 0
Georgian Court 0, Bridgeport 0 (Georgian Court advances on PKs, 3-2)
Championship Final
Saturday, November 7 at Wilmington University Athletics Complex, Newark, Del.
Jefferson 5, Georgian Court 0
2026 CACC WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Marit Blom, Bridgeport
Manuela Macedo, Bridgeport
Abby Collins, Chestnut Hill
Luciana D'Andrea, Chestnut Hill
Hailey Funkhouser, Georgian Court
Erynn Richey, Georgian Court
Delaine Wilkinson, Georgian Court
Alexa Callahan, Jefferson
Isa Geoghan, Jefferson
Jalina Gonzalez, Jefferson
Sophia Henry, Jefferson
Kyra Lesko, Jefferson
Dillan Sorino, Jefferson
Evelin Ventura-Garcia, Jefferson
MVP: Evelin Ventura-Garcia, Jefferson
2026 CACC WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP SCHOLAR AWARD
(Student-Athlete with the Highest Cumulative Grade Point Average at the Finals Site and At Least 48 Credits Earned at Current School)
Kyra Lesko, Thomas Jefferson University (4.00)
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 21 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – seven for men, 10 for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.