NEW CASTLE, Del. (Nov. 7, 2026) – Thanks to an offensive ignition headlined by two goals from senior midfielder Evelin Ventura-Garcia (Philadelphia, Pa. / Esperanza Academy), the Thomas Jefferson University women's soccer team captured the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship with a commanding 5-0 victory over Georgian Court University on Saturday, November 7, in a title game hosted by the University of Wilmington. The Rams scored four times before halftime to take control of the title match.
Ventura-Garcia sparked the offense with two goals just 51 seconds apart. She opened the scoring at 17:07, then doubled the lead at 17:58 off an assist from senior Kyra Lesko (Pennsburg, Pa. / Upper Perkiomen). That turned out to be the only offense the Rams would need to comfortably win their second CACC Championship in the last three years.
Freshman Erika Murphy (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) made it 3-0 at 27:18, firing in an assist from senior Sophia Henry (Deptford, N.J. / Deptford Township). Another freshman, midfielder Brooke Jones (Turnersville, N.J. / GCIT), converted a penalty kick at 42:24 to send Jefferson into halftime with a cozy four-goal cushion.
Senior Laken Merchant (Mount Joy, Pa. / Donegal) capped the scoring at 83:26, with Lesko providing her second assist. Jefferson finished with a 24-1 advantage in shots, including 14 on target, in the team's largest margin of victory since a 5-0 home victory over Holy Family University back in October.
Freshman Ava Brochon (Bensalem, Pa. / The Pennington School) drew the championship start and made one save across 90 minutes to secure the shutout behind another outstanding defensive effort. Jefferson goalkeepers faced just three shots over three games, underscoring the defensive dominance of the 2026 Rams in the CACC Postseason.
The 2026 Rams ultimately outscored their three CACC Tournament opponents by a combined 9-0 margin, and have now added the CACC crown to their undefeated conference regular season. This year's team is one of just four Jefferson programs to have an unbeaten conference season, and one of just three to do it in the CACC. One of those teams, the 2011 Rams, were recently enshrined in the Jefferson Athletics Hall of Fame.
The 2026 Rams may well get the same treatment one day. For now, Head Coach Michelle Jaquette's squad will turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament. The Rams will have an outside shot to host games in the East Regional Round depending on the results of tomorrow's NE10 Championship game between Bentley University and Franklin & Pierce University, the region's first and second ranked team.
Jefferson does have some recent success on the national level to hang their hat on. The 2024 team, led by then-Head Coach Kyle Schumann, advanced two rounds and made the Sweet-16 that year, the only other aforementioned perfect CACC season in the history of Jefferson women's soccer.
Follow and show support for your Thomas Jefferson University Rams on X (@jeffersonrams), Facebook and Instagram
