Fresh off its first ever trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 19 Division III playoffs in 2025, the Atlantic Cape Community College Buccaneers women’s soccer team is poised to build off of that successful momentum in 2026.
Head Coach Wesley Raywood’s squad made the College community proud with its playoff berth last year, despite falling to Bergen Community College in the first round. This year, with an entirely new roster of student–athletes, save for one returning sophomore, the excitement and expectations surrounding the Buccaneers are high.
“This is going to be an exciting season even with only having one returning player from last season. It’s a brand–new start for the squad. The team is excited to get the season started and is full of energetic players who are looking forward to the challenge of returning to the playoffs,” said Raywood.
With so many newcomers to the team, college–level game experience will come on a game–by–game basis. Raywood believes that a strong core of character student–athletes, led by returning sophomore and captain Alyssa Bybee, will have a positive effect in the locker room.
“We will be pushing Alyssa to her limits. We believe, when she is fully fit and healthy, she can lead this team into a new era. We are looking to build on her already strong game by playing her in a slightly different position this season. Hopefully this will give her body the time to recover during the game. Alyssa is a warrior and will give it everything on the field. We need her ‘never quit’ spirit for the whole season,” said Raywood.
Bybee’s experience will be vital as the coaching staff seeks to teach proper game management to the team’s freshmen student–athletes.
“We are trying to instill a mindset within the group that we can’t be too high when things are going good nor too low when they aren’t. We want to remain level–headed throughout each game and the season,” said Raywood.
With so many new players on the roster expectations will be high for each and every student–athlete. Raywood stated that Paisley Reily will be counted on to provide energy in the center of the midfield; working tirelessly to cover large swaths of the field.
“Paisley is looking to make her mark on the league as well as the team. Her hard work will hopefully be contagious and hopefully her teammates will follow her lead. Paisley also brings massive amounts of positivity to the field and she never gets angry at her teammates or opponents,” said Raywood.
As turnover predominates throughout women’s soccer in the NJCAA’s Region 19 in 2026, the Buccaneers will not be alone as numerous other recent contenders are undertaking their own rebuilding processes.
“The league has a few different teams this season, so it’s going to be a surprise to everyone when we play against them. Also, the dominant teams of the past few seasons have also had many graduates, so lots of teams will be playing with freshmen student–athletes on their rosters as well,” admitted Raywood.
Building a strong sense of team camaraderie and closeness, both on and off the field, will play an important role in developing a continuous winning culture, according to Raywood.
“For this group, we believe the wins and losses will take care of themselves, but we expect our student–athletes grow closer as a team. Whether in the locker room or on the field, we really want them to know that their teammates have their back. We would love for the players to form life–long friendships.”
The Buccaneers women’s soccer team opens its 2026 season at home on Tuesday, September 8, 3:30 p.m. at the Oakcrest High School soccer field in Mays Landing. Visit https://events.atlanticcape.
Visit atlanticcape.edu/womenssoccer to view this year’s roster, coaches and game results.
