WESTERVILLE, Ohio - Following an impressive 14-3 regular-season record, including a 7-1 mark in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play, the Capital University women's soccer team brought home plenty of hardware as the OAC announced its 2026 All-OAC Teams and individual award winners Friday morning.

The Comets placed 10 players across the All-OAC First, Second and Third Teams, while also earning five individual honors, including Coaching Staff of the Year.

Capital landed three players on the All-OAC First Team: defender Elise Buckerfield, midfielder Kasey Duke and forward Payton Childers. On the All-OAC Second Team, defenders Megan Foulke, Kendra Kovacs and Maggie Springer joined forward Juli Sprague. Rounding out the selections were three Comets named to the All-OAC Third Team: forward Brooklyn Herbert and midfielders Kristiane Kleppe and Sarah Kelly.

In addition to the 10 All-OAC selections, Capital collected five individual awards. Head Coach Matt Ogden and assistant coaches Megan Wharton-Dombrowski, Avery Hart, Brian Weikart, Mario Suarez and Geovanny Salinas were named the OAC Women's Soccer Coaching Staff of the Year. Sophomore Elise Buckerfield earned two individual honors, being named OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and OAC Defender of the Year. Megan Foulke was named OAC Co-Freshman of the Year, while junior Kasey Duke earned OAC Midfielder of the Year.

All-OAC First Team
Leading the way among Capital's individual award winners was sophomore defender Elise Buckerfield, who earned both OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year - the first year the award has been presented - and OAC Defender of the Year. The Delaware, Ohio, native has been a force on the backline throughout her second season as a Comet. After earning OAC Freshman of the Year and All-OAC First Team honors during her debut season, Buckerfield added three more accolades this year, bringing her career All-OAC recognition to five honors. Off the field, Buckerfield has been equally impressive, maintaining a 4.00 GPA as a Biology (Pre-Med) major while balancing her academic and athletic commitments. Buckerfield started all 17 games for Capital, recording one goal and three assists. She totaled eight shots, including two on goal, while logging 1,485 minutes on the field. A key contributor to the Comets' defensive success, Buckerfield helped Capital secure seven shutout victories. She also earned OAC Defender of the Week honors once during the season, finishing with five points.

Junior midfielder Kasey Duke also earned All-OAC First Team recognition while adding OAC Midfielder of the Year honors after a standout season in the center of the field. The Marysville, Ohio, native appeared in 16 games, making 15 starts. Duke recorded four goals and eight points for the Comets while attempting 11 shots, six of which were on goal. She also recorded one game-winning goal and logged 1,353 minutes during the season.

Rounding out Capital's All-OAC First Team selections was junior forward Payton Childers, who established herself as a dominant offensive presence for the Purple and White. Childers appeared in 17 games, making 13 starts, and led the team with 12 goals and six assists. The Huber Heights, Ohio, native fired off 53 shots, placing 29 on goal, while recording four game-winning goals. In 899 minutes of action, Childers totaled 30 points for the Comets. She also earned OAC weekly forward honors in three consecutive weeks during the regular season.

All-OAC Second Team
Capital added four players to the All-OAC Second Team, beginning with defender Megan Foulke, who also earned OAC Co-Freshman of the Year honors following an impressive debut season. The Gahanna native made an immediate impact for the Purple and White, appearing in and starting all 17 games. Foulke recorded four goals and one assist, totaling nine points for the Comets. She attempted 20 shots, with 11 finding the target, while logging 1,359 minutes on the field. On the defensive side, Foulke helped Capital secure seven shutout victories throughout the season.

Junior defender Kendra Kovacs was the second Comet named to the All-OAC Second Team. Kovacs appeared in and started 15 games, establishing herself as a reliable presence on Capital's backline. The Troy local recorded two assists for two points while logging 1,234 minutes during the season. She also attempted seven shots, putting four on goal, and played a key role in the Comets' seven shutout victories.

Joining Kovacs on the All-OAC Second Team was fellow defender Maggie Springer. The Dublin, Ohio, native made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign, appearing in 15 games and earning 14 starts. Springer contributed one goal and two assists for four points on the season. She recorded eight total shots, five of which were on goal, while logging 1,262 minutes. Alongside her fellow defenders, Springer helped lead Capital to seven shutout victories this season and earned OAC weekly honors once during the fall.

Rounding out Capital's All-OAC Second Team selections was sophomore forward Juli Sprague, who earned the honor for the second consecutive season after also receiving Second Team recognition as a freshman. The forward appeared in 17 games, making 15 starts, and played a vital role in the Comets' attacking lineup. Sprague recorded four goals and three assists, totaling 11 points for Capital. She attempted 30 shots, with 17 on goal, and added one game-winning goal to her season totals.

All-OAC Third Team
Three additional Comets earned All-OAC Third Team recognition, beginning with sophomore forward Brooklyn Herbert. After a strong freshman campaign, Herbert continued to establish herself as an offensive threat during her second season for the Purple. The Ashville native appeared in all 17 games, making six starts. Despite playing 710 minutes, Herbert made a significant impact on the attacking line, recording eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Her eight goals ranked second on the team, while her three game-winning goals also ranked second among the Comets. Herbert fired off 43 shots during the season, with 20 finding the target, further highlighting her offensive production.

Also earning All-OAC Third Team honors was sophomore midfielder Kristiane Kleppe, who continued to provide an all-around presence for the Comets. The Norway native appeared in 12 games, making 11 starts, and contributed one goal and six assists. Kleppe's six assists tied for the team lead, while her eight total points highlighted her impact on Capital's offensive attack. She attempted 26 shots, placing 10 on goal, and recorded one game-winning goal during the season.

The final Comet named to the All-OAC Third Team was sophomore midfielder Sarah Kelly, bringing Capital's total number of All-OAC honorees to 10. The Dublin, Ohio local appeared in and started all 17 games for the Purple and White. Kelly contributed one goal and two assists for four points on the season. She recorded 24 total shots, putting seven on goal, while logging 1,123 minutes on the field.

With 10 players earning All-OAC recognition, the 2026 Comets have made program history. Capital's previous high was eight All-OAC honorees, a mark reached during the 2015, 2021 and 2022 seasons. This year's 10 selections officially set a new program record, capping off an outstanding regular season for the Comets.

The Comets have advanced to the OAC Championship game after defeating third-seeded Otterbein in an overtime thriller last night in Columbus. Capital now turns its attention to Sunday's championship matchup in Ada, Ohio, where the Comets will face top-seeded Ohio Northern for the conference title.