Fall 2026 Preview: Montgomery County Boys and Girls Soccer!

BOYS SOCCER

Last fall, Montgomery County had a trio of teams reach as far as the final four, including Whitman and Northwest in the 4A bracket and Sherwood on the 3A side. Heading into this season, none of those teams are losing the most athletes, but each will still lose several important pieces. Click this link or scroll down to read more about how some of last year’s top teams are shaping up heading into the fall 2026 season!

Last year’s county champions, the Northwest Jaguars, needed double overtime in a 3-2 win over Blake to earn the MoCo title. The Jags got as far as the state semifinal before falling to Leonardtown, a team that surrendered just five goals in an 18-game undefeated season. Shepherd University commit Antonio Conte, a defender, is the team’s big loss in a 2026 class that had a monstrous 17 athletes. Head coach Kert Mease will have a full pitch to fill after significant losses from last year’s roster, which could lead to regression this fall.

Whitman was also a strong team on the state level, falling 1-0 to the same Leonardtown team in the 4A championship. The Vikings outscored playoff opponents 13-1 in four games before the title game loss. The team didn’t graduate any college commits, and limited information is available about what the team’s 2025 roster looked like. The 11-time Maryland state champions will look for their fourth consecutive final four appearance and first 4A title since 2019.

Churchill was the third of four teams to surpass the double-digit win mark last fall, finishing their regular season with a 10-2-1 record. Despite having a win percentage above .800, the Bulldogs were upset 1-0 at home against Quince Orchard in their first playoff game, eliminating the team early. Churchill graduated 13 members from last year’s squad, but will return junior fullback Tobi Filayi who made the Washington Post’s second all-met team last fall.

After starting their season losing three of their first five, the Kennedy Cavaliers won each of the seven games left on their regular season schedule. Despite the strong finish to round out the regular season, JFK was knocked out in their first postseason game as Richard Montgomery avenged an earlier loss. The team graduated a baker's dozen of athletes including center midfielder Ariel Gapinsi, Kennedy’s lone athlete selected to the second all-county squad.

The Warriors were the only team in the county with two ties in a season that still saw 10 wins overall and a 7-3-2 regular season record. Three of Sherwood’s four postseason games were decided by one goal, including their 3A semifinal loss to Stephen Decatur, the future 3A state champion. Of the eight graduated seniors, two will play at the next level including Adam Levy (Ithaca College) and Jeremiah McGuire (Loyola University MD).

Blake lost just two games in the regular season while winning nine and tying in one. The Bengals then lost the county championship game against Northwest before dropping their first playoff game, their second loss of the season against Einstein. Blake graduated 12 seniors including Virginia State commit Emmanuel Boly, Shepherd University commit Emilio Flores-Lemus, and all-county selectee Christopher Granados. This fall’s roster will be led by first-team all-state honoree Alhaji Koroma, a striker who recorded 19 goals and eight assists in his junior season.

Blair lost just one of their first seven games last season, but fell 1-0 to High Point High in their first and only playoff game. The Blazers are tied for having the second fewest graduated seniors of anyone on this list, losing just six athletes going into this fall. However, those six seniors include center midfielder Lyon “Chito” Alvarez who was selected to the first all-state team. The team will be led this fall by senior forward Julian Reyes Rubio, who made the second all-county team last fall, along with all-division honorees Will Argueta Castro and Oscar Pinto Acosta.

The Rams are tied with Blair after losing just six athletes from last year’s roster, including Montgomery County senior all stars Sean Lamiman and Evan Way. Last year’s team won a regional title, taking down Wootton and Northwood in the region bracket before a 2-1 loss at Tuscarora in the state quarterfinals.

Clarksburg has a nearly identical schedule in 2026 compared to last fall, facing each of the same 12 opponents but in a slightly different order. The Coyotes graduated a dozen seniors, headlined by a pair of MoCo senior all star game selectees, McDaniel commit Neb Samuel along with Ale Baldomar. The team will be led this fall by 2025 all-division selectee Emanuel Israel.

Northwood will head into this fall with a nearly identical roster to last fall after losing just four athletes from their 2025 roster. Of those four, half were selected to the senior all county game including Alex Ramos and Biruk Yitayew. Rising junior center back Noah Fisher will have a big role on this year’s roster following a selection on the MCPS North all-division team.

GIRLS SOCCER

B-CC, the 4A state runner up, lost a large chunk of their roster, with eight seniors including an MACS all state first-team selectee graduating. Blair looks to be on the come up, graduating just a pair with no shortage of top talent returning to the team. Click this link or scroll down to read more about how some of last year’s top teams are shaping up heading into the fall 2026 season!

After finishing the regular season undefeated and winning a regional championship, the Blair Blazers enter the 2026 season looking like one of the best teams in the state. The Blazers were upset by Severn Run in the state quarterfinals, and following the loss, the team graduated just two seniors. But that does include one of the county’s best. Blair graduated first-team all-county and all-state selectee Meron Koro, who is committed to Towson University. The team will return first all-county team selectee Rowyn Harvey, second team selectee Elena Kleiner, and three honorable mentions this fall. Watch out for Blair to make a deep state playoff run in 2026.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase made it the farthest out of any MoCo team last fall, reaching the 4A state championship game before falling 3-2 to Perry Hall. The team graduated eight athletes, headlined by MACS first all-state team honoree Amelia Tatelbaum. This year’s Barons’ roster will be led by rising senior goalkeeper Brooke Doukouris and rising junior midfielder Annabelle Miller, each of the two were selected to the all-division team last fall.

The QO Cougars finished the regular season at 9-2-2, but their season came to a close in the regional championship in their second loss of the season against B-CC. Defender Liz Donmoyer is the team’s big loss as she was selected to the MACS first all-state team. Behind Donmoyer, rising senior midfielder Scout Torma-Kim and rising junior goalkeeper Lauren Simms will have bigger roles this fall after both of the two were selected to the all-division team last season

The Warriors finished their regular season with a 10-2 record, but could not make it past Atholton in the regional championship game, falling 1-0 on the road against the Raiders. Ten athletes departed from last year’s team including Towson University commit Maya Petrash and senior all stars Sydney Gould and Cara Hairston. Defender Avah Scott was selected to the east all-division team in her freshman season, and she will have a bigger role to play for Sherwood this coming season.

Walter Johnson had a strong 2025 regular season, going into the playoffs at 8-2-2. After a win over Gaithersburg, the Wildcats lost to the B-CC Barons, against whom they tied during the regular season, 3-0 in the regional quarterfinals. The team graduated seven seniors including Emory University commit and second team all-state selectee Evie Avillo, but this year’s roster will be led by senior goalkeeper Chloe Russ, who was selected as an all-state honorable mention by MACS last fall.

Whitman struggled to begin last fall, starting 0-2, but went 7-0-3 in their last 10 games. 2025 was the first time since 2021 where the Vikings did not bring home the state title, with their elimination coming in the regional semifinals against Quince Orchard. Whitman graduated five seniors headlined by defender Aliya Wales who made the first all-state squad. Rising senior defender Kaitlyn Garrett will lead the team this fall after being selected to the all-division roster alongside Parker Zedak who made the division team in her freshman season.

In each of Magruder’s eight wins last season, the Colonels did not surrender a single goal. That streak included a 7-0 regional semifinal win over Damascus, but their season ended in their second loss of the season against Wootton in the regional championship. The Colonels graduated 10 seniors headlined by Dickinson College commit Mamady Bangoura who was selected to the second all-state team by MACS. This year, senior goalkeeper Lauren Cunningham will rise to lead the team, while returning midfielders Sarah Bangoura and Michelle Villegas Cruz will also look for strong seasons after each of the three made the all-division squad.

Of Wootton’s 12 seniors, a figure that leads this list, Megan Lomotan and Annalise Yi are the two heading to play at the next level. Lomotan will suit up at Dickinson College and Yi will play for Bridgwater College. Those two, along with captain Mia Stubbins, were selected to represent the Patriots in the senior all star game. Midfielder Alex Rabin will have a crucial role on the team as she enters her senior season following an all-division nod in 2025.

PROGRAMMING NOTE 💭

Stay tuned to County Sports Zone for more preview articles and power rankings for Montgomery County high school sports in the coming weeks! Practices kick off on August 12 before the regular season gets underway on September 4.

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