Canadian NCAA Preview 2026: Rookies

For decades, NCAA soccer has been the proving ground for Canada's best players.

From Christine Sinclair at Portland to Kadeisha Buchanan at West Virginia, a strong collegiate career has long been one of the most reliable pathways to the professional game and the Canadian national team. While the Northern Super League is beginning to offer young players another option, NCAA soccer remains a critical part of the Canadian development landscape.

This fall, roughly 480 Canadians will suit up for Division I programs across the United States. Some are freshmen making the jump from youth soccer, others are established stars preparing for professional careers, and many will also feature for Canada at upcoming U-17 and U-20 World Cups.

To kick off our NCAA season preview series, we're looking at the rookies poised to make an immediate impact in 2026.

As always, there is a huge class of talented players entering their rookie seasons, and they come with more pro experience than ever before thanks to the NSL. Readers may already be familiar with some of the names listed in the graphic below as they have been part of NSL matchday squads and some have played significant minutes.

It’s always hard to predict who does well in year one given the massive transition from youth soccer to the intense and athletic style played in the NCAA, but Rochelle from @canuniwsoccer (Twitter) and I gave it a go. Our selections balance current impact, professional experience, and potential international significance.

The Vancouver Rise/Whitecaps academy has produced some magnificent players over the years, and Chloe Taylor has already proven in her stints with the first team and the Canadian YNTs that she’s the latest one. A tall, composed midfielder/defender, the 17-yo can play across the backline and centrally in midfield. Now playing her first season for Auburn, she scored her first goal in pre-season, and scored an absolute rocket in her first NCAA game.

The former CanW17 captain from North Van has her eyes set on the U20 World Cup, having impressed at the U17 World Cup in Morocco last year where Canada made a run to the quarter-final. She was a dual-sport athlete in high school (basketball), and lists players like Aitana Bonmati, Millie Bright, and Emily Sonnett as her role models. You can see elements of the Barcelona legend’s play when Taylor has the ball at her feet, and her physical strengths emulate that of a Millie Bright, while she has Sonnett’s versatility. If she can continue on her current trajectory, you can expect to see Taylor in the senior set-up sooner rather than later.

When I attended my first Rise game at Swanguard, Bridget Mutipula’s entrance in the second half elicited by far the biggest cheer of the game. The defender moved from Halifax as a 14-year-old, quickly finding a new home on the West coast, and it didn’t take long for coaches and the fan base to notice her talent. A mainstay of the YNT program, she excels due to her anticipation, decision-making, and poise with and without the ball. She has made 7 appearances for the first team over the last two seasons, and was a key part of the Vancouver Rise squad that played in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Mutipula has roots in Zambia, having moved to Nova Scotia at age 4. Now, she’s on the move again to one of the top collegiate programs in recent history - Florida State University. She started in her debut against FIU last week and followed that up with another start vs Stetson. Both clean sheets, by the way. Canada continues to develop a remarkable number of world-class defenders, and Mutipula is certainly poised to become one herself. 

Getting handed your pro debut is one thing, but having that debut be against the NWSL’s Bay FC is another. That’s exactly how it went down for 18-yo Molly Hale when she stepped on the pitch for her hometown club Ottawa Rapid for the first time earlier this year in a pre-season friendly.The versatile Hale was subbed in as a leftback in that match, and saw one more appearance on May 13th in a 2:0 win over the Tides.

Developed in the well-respected Futuro academy set-up, she ultimately made the move to NDC-Ontario and has represented the CanW17 on multiple occasions, including at the U17 World Cup in 2025. Expect the tricky and creative left-footed player to make a name for herself at UCLA, following in the footsteps of former Bruin and one of her idols Jessie Fleming.

This season, Torah Betteridge played more NSL minutes than any other Youth Development permit player. The personnel situation was dire for the Wild to start the year, so 17-yo Betteridge from Calgary stepped up for her hometown club. While the team was struggling for results, Betteridge’s learning curve was massive and she more than held her own both on and off the ball. Raised in a footballing family (her mother played for the University of Waterloo), her soccer IQ was evident from the jump.

From late April to late June, she played nearly 550 first team minutes, including 5 starts, playing as a center back, left back, and defensive mid at various points. Now, she joins a new project with the Michigan Wolverines, coached by Canadian David Ianni in his inaugural season. Given all her experience, the versatile defensive all-rounder has as good a chance as any to play a central role at the U17 World Cup in October.

Another defensive all-rounder, 18-yo Naomi Lofthouse has become a regular fixture with the Ottawa Rapid over the past two seasons. Signed as a 17-yo, she made her debut for the Rapid when she came on for Desi Scott on April 27, 2025, in a symbolic substitution. Another hometown kid, she made strides this season and started her first match on May 29th in a 2:1 win over Halifax. In total, she has made 11 NSL appearances already.

She joins Northwestern (ranked #35) in the competitive Big 10 conference with the goal of cracking the U20 World Cup squad. Another product of the OSU academy and part of what can be described as a “golden generation” in Ottawa girls’ soccer, her competitive spirit and athleticism have always been front and center in her game and are a big part of the reason she made it to the U17 World Cup last year. She’ll be looking to repeat that experience with the U20s this Fall, and a strong start to her collegiate career will go a long way in making that happen.

Melissa Kekic (Forward, Michigan). A skilled attacking player with plenty of CanYNT experience, Kekic has hit the ground running with Michigan. Keep an eye on #9 this season.

Lacy Kindel (Midfielder, Michigan State). Coming from an athletic family, it feels like fate that Kindel has found early success in her soccer career. She decided to head to school early to join Michigan State where she made her first appearance last week vs Xavier. 

Emma Donnelly (Defender, Nebraska). The tenacious defender from Toronto has been a mainstay for the NDC-O program and the YNT. She already scored her first NCAA goal for the Cornhuskers this past weekend, and it was an absolute banger.

Mya Angus (Defender, Arizona State). The fullback from Ottawa captained the aforementioned “Golden Generation” at OSU and has been an NDC-O and CanYNT standout for years. She is likely to make the CanW20 squad for the World Cup.

Olivia Busby (Goalkeeper, Harvard). Busby is one in a long line of talented Canadian keepers in the NCAA. She picks up Anna Karpenko’s legacy at Harvard and is poised to become the starter as a Freshman.