NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's soccer team is projected to finish towards the bottom of the Northwest Conference in the coaches' preseason poll.

Just don't tell them that.

Armed with a new head coach, a large freshman class, key transfers and returners, and a competitive attitude ready to prove the doubters wrong, the Bruins are setting their sights high for 2026.

The 2025 campaign was challenging for the Bruins, but new head coach Brooke Alteneder isn't looking back; instead, her team will focus on new things.

"We play intentional soccer," Alteneder said, "Every action has a reaction, and we want to dictate the play on and off the ball. Every moment, every pass, every dribble — all of that is intentional."

Alteneder was with the team in the spring of 2026, but now heads into her first season as head coach with a roster of 31, 20 of which are underclassmen.

Marisa Lam headlines those underclassmen. The sophomore standout began her career by not allowing a goal in her first four 90-minute appearances, twice earning Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Week. In just one year, she sits 11th all-time in career shutouts, while her .827 save percentage is fourth all-time — three spots behind her head coach, the program leader with a .889 percentage. And while Alteneder may have the statistical advantage all-time, she couldn't help but rave about her keeper.

"She's just incredible," the Bruin head coach said. "She's a top-tier keeper. She saves some things that are pretty unsavable, so that's a big piece for us."

Lam is part of nine sophomores who all look to make an impact on the field after a year under their belt. Her twin sister Erin Lam, defender and 2025 minutes leader Sarah Burkes, regular starter Morgan Phalen, GFU women's basketball guard Addi Dippel, who will shift to being a two-sport athlete in 2026, as well as Myann Johansen, Teresa Wilson, Breckyn Welsh, and Grace Bach make up the sophomore class of 2026.

"There's a lot of great returning talent from our sophomore class, and that was a fun freshman class last year that I got in the spring," Alteneder said. "They're eager, they're fun, and they're a good group."

As for the freshmen, 11 newcomers will begin their time in Newberg in the 2026 campaign: Camille Cresap, Taylor Rodgers, Jayne Neal, Mia Kalina, Maddie Twichell, Sophia Mapes, Riley Tillery, Addie Wolff, Morgan Gill, Anya Gula, and Olivia Ott.

What stands out to Alteneder most about her first group of freshmen as head coach is the ability to hop in; whether it's a speedy forward in Gula, a solid outside back-turned-wing in Kalina, or a 2025 Montana State Champion in Rodgers, there's plenty to be excited about as this group figures out the ropes of collegiate soccer.

"Day one jitters are real," the Bruin coach said, "When you come in at 17 or 18 years old, that's sometimes a bigger, faster, stronger problem that you can't overcome. But they've done really well, coming in and figuring out the pace, figuring out the speed."

On the flip side, there's a "small but mighty" class of three seniors that Alteneder has at her disposal: Isabella Hector, Maci Bowman, and Chloe Rocha. 

Hector and Bowman are familiar faces for Bruin fans; in their three years in Newberg, the two have combined to start in 84 games, with Hector starting 46 as a defender and Bowman 38 as a midfielder. Bowman was named Academic All-District in 2025 while Hector started all 19 games for the Bruins.

On the flip side, Rocha steps in after time away from the program. The San Diego native played in 12 games in 2023 before taking two years off. But no matter if you've started every game or are returning from an absence, Alteneder has nothing but praise for her senior group.

"My seniors are awesome," Alteneder said, "They've been through a lot. All of them have a very different journey to get to their senior year, but I'm excited for each one of them."

Rounding out the group are seven juniors equally as ready to begin the second half of their career. Three transfers join the squad in Amanda McArthur (who scored five goals in two seasons for NWC foe Willamette), Claire Moss (another transfer from an NWC rival in Linfield), and Grace Bittner (A D-II transfer who played in 12 games for Montana State). Also joining the team in Lily Valentine, who graduated from West Salem HS in 2018 but begins her first year of collegiate soccer.

While there are new faces, old ones remain: Lindsey Kong, who is second in returning production for career shots on goal; Rylee Galyon, who led the team in assists in 2025; Eliza Kamphouse, who appeared in all 19 games as a sophomore; and Emilee Souder, who returns from injury for her junior season.

These 31 women will have two exhibitions and two non-conference games to prepare for 16 Northwest Conference games. The Bruins won't pull their punches as they get ready for the NWC — the team kicks off their season against Cal Lutheran, who won the 2023 NCAA Division III Championship.

"[Cal Lutheran] is just a fun game to go into," Alteneder said. "You always want to go to see the higher competition so you know what standard you can hold yourself to. And then Caltech will be a good battle. We have a chance to score some goals, put some stuff in the net, and then head back home straight into Northwest Conference play."

Fox has already shown off their goal-scoring prowess with two in their exhibition opener against Lane. And that's something Fox plans on doing all season.

The Bruins have an uphill battle to prove the conference coaches wrong; Fox still seeks their first official win in over a calendar. But their head coach knows that the sky is the limit for this group.

They've just got to prove it.

"We're going to get scored on less," Alteneder said, "We're going to score more goals. We're going to win games. It'll be fun."

The fun officially begins for the Bruins with a road game in California on Friday, September 4, before the Bruins kick off NWC play on Friday, September 11 against the Willamette Bearcats.