Women’s Soccer Forfeits 2026 Season
Photo courtesy of Pixnio and Google Images Creative Commons.
Bluefield University’s women’s soccer team has forfeited the rest of the 2026 season due to injuries, which include ACL tears, knee injuries, and ankle injuries. Athletics Director Corey Mullins explained the decision.
“Through the course of the preseason and into the first couple of matches of the season, we had some injuries and some other issues that we felt like it was not gonna be physically safe for our team to continue to play,” Corey Mullins said. “We just could not field a team . . . that was gonna be able to go out there every day and play for ninety minutes.”
The team played its first game against Reinhardt on September 14. Although the roster included 15 players, multiple girls were coming back from last year’s injuries and were not cleared to play. The team’s single sub was allowed to play only a short time because she also was coming back from an injury.
The women’s soccer team started its second game against Brenau on September 19 but stopped at halftime. Since then, the team has not played another game.
“We started with small numbers,” junior Hazel Parlett said. “We played the cards we were dealt. The cards ran out, and so we had to stop playing – not really by choice, but because physically these girls could not keep playing.”
While the forfeitures are disappointing for players, the ones I spoke to agreed with the decision. Freshman Layla Samuelson said forfeiting the season gives everyone a chance to recover and offers a “good mental break” from the stress of the season. Senior Sara Dunphy said it’s hard to watch other teams compete, but forfeiting was the best decision for the team.
“Girls kept getting severe injuries, and it didn’t look like we were getting any better physically,” Dunphy said. “I feel it just would have dragged on for a while with those injuries and more girls could have gotten hurt.”
Parlett said “there’s no point in burning our bodies” to play soccer. She tore her ACL last year and is still out. Parlett emphasized that the players weren’t trying to not play soccer; they physically could not keep playing.
“All these girls love soccer. We’ve played . . . since we were little babies. It’s kind of our life,” Parlett said.
Senior Emily Spaulding said she’s “heartbroken” but grateful for the women’s soccer program and her coaches.
“This season was not at all what I had envisioned for my senior year, but sometimes we just have to roll with God’s plan because there’s always something he knows for us that we don’t,” Spaulding said. “Who knows what could have happened this year.”
Some players felt the administration could have done more to limit injuries. They raised concerns that girls coming back from injuries and surgeries were played longer than they were allowed, and that this went against the trainer’s recommendations. Corey Mullins responded to those concerns.
“As the Athletic Director, I take the health and well-being of our student athletes seriously,” he said. “I have discussed this issue with our athletic training staff and confirmed that we did not have any student athletes who played excessive minutes when compared to our athletic trainer’s recommendations in either of the contests that we played.”
Corey Mullins added that the Athletic Department will continue reviewing policies and helping coaches make the best decisions for athletes. The players on the women’s soccer team will each receive another year of sports eligibility. Forfeiting the season will not affect their scholarships.
Before the forfeitures, players practiced between one and two hours each day except for Wednesdays and Sundays. Now, players are doing roughly 45-minute workouts with weights.
“We currently are in our off-season weight program and focusing on preparing for finals,” Coach Cade Mullins said. “After finals they will receive their winter break program, and we will begin our spring training program when the team returns in January.”
Cade Mullins said the NAIA allows the women’s soccer team to use the remainder of their 24-week schedule in the spring for training sessions and three potential matches.
“Our plan is to focus on the process, and improve daily through our spring program, with the possibility of playing a few matches,” Cade Mullins said, “with the goal of spring to help prepare the team for summer break and the following season.”
The assistant coach and head athletic trainer did not respond to interview requests.
According to Parlett, five of the girls still on the team are injured. Coach Cade Mullins said one girl will be out the remainder of the school year, and others are undergoing treatment and should be cleared in the spring. Several girls have left the team, with some moving to other sports.
“Our training staff worked with our coaches, and our coaches take every measure possible to try to limit the impact of injuries on the team and keep our student athletes safe,” Corey Mullins said. “I just think this was a unique situation for this year, but we’ll continue to try to put our student athletes in the best physical space to compete and enjoy the sport.”
Corey Mullins said they are making every effort to bring the roster to 24 so the women’s soccer team can play a full season next year.
Despite their disappointment, several players on the women’s soccer team have seen positives in forfeiting the season. Parlett said she’s been spending more time with family and friends. Senior Nathaly Granada said the break from practice and competition has allowed players to focus more on academics, connect with the community, and get involved in religious activities. It’s also drawn the team closer together, she said.
Dunphy has been enjoying fall – something she’s usually too busy to do. She loves soccer and has played for 14 years, but she said the break has been “a breath of fresh air,” allowing her to focus on things that really matter in life.
“As an athlete, sometimes you just get so caught up in your sport, and sometimes that’s where student athletes find their identity,” Dunphy said. “You want to be able to perform well; you want to be able to do your best. But at the end of the day, you’re still human. And you’re not always gonna have your sport.”