KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) announced its major postseason awards and All-MIAA teams for the 2026 women's soccer season, selected by head coaches from all 13 MIAA women's soccer institutions.
Five Griffon Soccer players earned All-MIAA recognition following their accomplishments during the 2026 regular season, which saw MoWest finish with an 8-3-7 overall record and a 5-3-4 mark in MIAA play. The Griffons secured the No. 6 seed in the 2026 MIAA Women's Soccer Postseason Tournament as they look to defend their conference tournament title.
Senior midfielder Kendall Knisley led the Griffon selections with First Team All-MIAA honors, while sophomore defender Cadence Dobberstein earned Second Team recognition. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Byrd and sophomore forward Rosemary Pujado were named to the Third Team, while freshman midfielder Alexandra Milano received All-MIAA Honorable Mention recognition.
Kendall Knisley – First Team All-MIAA | Midfielder | Senior
Senior midfielder Kendall Knisley earned First Team All-MIAA honors following an impressive 2026 regular season in which she appeared in all 18 matches, recording nine goals, one assist and a team-leading 19 points across 1,384 minutes of action. Knisley finished with 39 shots, including 18 shots on goal, posting a .231 shooting percentage and a .462 shot-on-goal percentage. She averaged 2.17 shots and 1.06 points per match while recording four game-winning goals and converting both of her penalty-kick attempts. Knisley recorded a season-high three points on one goal and one assist at Nebraska Kearney on Oct. 16. She also became the program's all-time assists leader during the regular season and closed the campaign with a goal in the Griffons' 3-0 victory at Northwest Missouri State on Oct. 28.
Cadence Dobberstein – Second Team All-MIAA | Defender | Sophomore
Sophomore defender Cadence Dobberstein earned Second Team All-MIAA honors after appearing in 17 matches during the 2026 regular season, making 16 starts and logging 1,488 minutes of action. Dobberstein was also named the MIAA Women's Soccer Defender of the Week for Week Two, announced on Sept. 9, recognizing her performance during the early portion of the season. Dobberstein recorded one goal, one assist and three points while finishing with five shots, including four shots on goal, for a .200 shooting percentage and an .800 shot-on-goal percentage. She scored her lone goal of the season against Central Oklahoma on Sept. 18, which also marked her season-high two-point performance and accounted for her game-winning goal. Dobberstein added an assist against Missouri Southern on Oct. 4 and provided a consistent presence along the Griffon back line, playing the full 90 minutes in 15 matches while finishing with the most minutes played among the five All-MIAA honorees.
Morgan Byrd – Third Team All-MIAA | Goalkeeper | Redshirt Sophomore
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Byrd earned Third Team All-MIAA honors following a strong 2026 regular season in which she appeared in 17 matches, making 17 starts and playing 1,485 minutes in goal for the Griffons. Byrd finished with an 8-3-6 individual record, recording 66 saves, a .835 save percentage and a 0.79 goals-against average while allowing just 13 goals throughout the regular season. She recorded seven individual shutouts, including an eight-save shutout performance against Northeastern State on Sept. 20. Byrd registered a career-high nine saves at Pittsburg State on Oct. 18, allowing just one goal in the contest. She closed the regular season with three saves in MoWest's 3-0 victory at Northwest Missouri State on Oct. 28. The performance marked her seventh shutout of the season and the 14th of her career.
Rosemary Pujado – Third Team All-MIAA | Forward | Sophomore
Sophomore forward Rosemary Pujado earned Third Team All-MIAA honors after appearing in 12 matches during the 2026 regular season, recording six assists and six points across 769 minutes of action. Pujado finished with 14 shots, including seven shots on goal, for a .500 shot-on-goal percentage. She averaged 1.17 shots, 0.50 assists and 0.50 points per match while providing an offensive presence for the Griffons. Pujado recorded a season-high two assists and two points against Wayne State on Sept. 2. She finished with six assists, the most among MoWest's five All-MIAA selections.
Alexandra Milano – All-MIAA Honorable Mention | Midfielder | Freshman
Freshman midfielder Alexandra Milano earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention recognition following her first collegiate regular season, appearing in all 18 matches while making 17 starts and totaling 1,096 minutes of action. Milano recorded one goal and two points while finishing with 18 shots, including seven shots on goal, for a .056 shooting percentage and a .389 shot-on-goal percentage. She averaged one shot per match and scored her lone goal of the season in the Griffons' 2-1 victory at Newman on Sept. 27, which also served as her season-high two-point performance and the game-winning goal. Milano provided a consistent presence in the Griffon midfield throughout her freshman campaign.
What's Next
The No. 6 seed Griffons will begin their MIAA Tournament title defense on Sunday, Nov. 1, traveling to Pittsburg, Kansas, to face No. 3 seed Pittsburg State in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the MIAA Tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6, at Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas.
