POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Over 492 days since its last kickoff, the Marist Women's Soccer program opens the 2020-21 spring season on Tuesday, March 9th against the same opponent it faced in the 2019 MAAC Quarterfinals. The Red Foxes travel to Quinnipiac for a 3 p.m. start.
 
Marist returns 24 letterwinners from the 2019 campaign, where it finished with an 8-10-1 record, with a 5-4-1 mark against MAAC foes. The performance secured the fourth seed in the MAAC Championships, as Marist hosted a home game at Tenney Stadium.
 

forwards

• The forward group arguably retains the most players who made an impact on offense in 2019.
• Junior Victoria Colatosti was Marist's leading scorer from the previous season, posting seven goals and two assists for 16 points for a Red Fox offense that was fourth in the MAAC in goals.
• Kaylin Sperley (three goals, one assist) and two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient Jillian Colucci (one goal, two assists) were both primarily starters and played over 900 minutes.
• Sophomore Leah Barbieri developed into a starter throughout the season and fared well, while Chiara Di Palma (four points) and Brooke Cergol were consistent presences off the bench.
• Senior Annika Nielsen and junior Haley Guertin look to earn minutes, while Samantha Caldarelli and Bridget Dudziec are the lone freshmen joining the group.

 

midfielders

• Three-time All-MAAC Second Team honoree and Preseason All-MAAC selection Nicole Sasso headlines the midfield unit. The senior posted four goals, tying her season-best, and an assist while starting all 17 games she played in.
• Abby Murphy heads into her junior year coming off a career-high three goals and seven points, highlighted by her two-goal effort on Senior Day against Manhattan. She started 13 out of 19 games this season.
• Senior Katey Samarro also looks to elevate her role after making seven starts in 2019, playing in 16 games.
• Hartford transfer Taylor Hennig looks to make her mark after sitting out the 2019 season due to injury. She has two assists in her career against MAAC foes Siena and Manhattan.
• Senior Lauren Couto, juniors Nicole Piperea and Kayla Afflitto, and sophomores Molly Rotondo and Melina Serrao return from a season ago.
• Freshmen Amanda Caldarelli, Emily Harwood, and Caroline Campion round out the newcomers.

 

defenders

• The Marist defense is perhaps the unit with the most playing time up for grabs following the departures of all-time assists leader Alexa Svensson and All-MAAC Second Team pick Bianca Furci.
• Junior Riley Abate and sophomore Samantha Sturno are the returning starters; each played over 1,500 minutes for a back line that was top-five in the MAAC in goals allowed.
• Senior Britt Van Lenten made two starts during MAAC play and appeared in 10 matches, and boasts experience playing in the midfield as well.
• Veterans vying for more playing time include junior Brinley Chabot as well as sophomores Kayla Flynn and Sydney Dydensborg.
• The Red Foxes' freshmen class had more defenders compared to the other units. Kaitlyn Bogucki and Samantha Roberts look to showcase their skills, while Chance Hendricks can slot onto the back line or play midfield.

 

goalkeepers

• Marist goalkeepers were top 30 in Division I in saves per game in 2019, and the key contributors return for another season.
• Junior Natalie Kelchner, who made 11 saves in her first start at Army and made the starting XI for every game but Senior Day from there, stopped six shots per game (second in the MAAC, 24^th in the NCAA) and compiled a 0.857 saver percentage (second in the MAAC, 19^th in D1).
• Senior Abigail Renaud has started at least seven games the past two seasons, racking up eight wins for a 0.763 save percentage and 1.24 goals against average.
• Freshman Kelly Lambertson joins the group to fill 2020 grad Francesca Guzzo's void. She collected 469 saves and 15 shutouts in high school.

 

coaches

• Head Coach Brittany Kolmel is in her first season at Marist. This is the first collegiate head coach opportunity former Big East Defensive Player of the Year at UConn and U.S. Women's National Team alternate.
• Assistant Coach Dara Battistoni joins Marist after spending the past two-plus seasons at MAAC rival Siena, reaching the MAAC Championship final in 2018.

 

preseason accolades

• Marist was selected to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Red Foxes were selected in that same spot in 2019.
• Sasso was the only Red Fox on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. It was the second time in her career she made the preseason team.

 

schedule

• The 2020 MAAC season was pushed to the Spring 2021 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's slate is exclusively against MAAC opponents.
• Marist plays three opponents at Tenney Stadium: Saint Peter's on Tuesday, March 16th at 7 p.m., Iona on Sunday, March 28th at 1 p.m., and Siena on Tuesday, April 6th at 7 p.m.
• In addition to the season lidlifter against the Bobcats, the Red Foxes visit Canisius on Tuesday, March 23rd at 4 p.m. and Manhattan on Tuesday, March 30th at 3 p.m.
• The 2020-21 MAAC Championships take place from April 9th to April 16^th.