POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – After disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic cut short the Marist women's soccer program's 2020-21 campaign, the Red Foxes resume play with a traditional fall schedule that begins with a trip to Loyola Maryland on Thursday, August 19th at 6 p.m.
 

HOW TO FOLLOW

• Thursday's contest airs on ESPN+, beginning at the top of the hour. For more information on how to sign up for a subscription, please click here.
• Live statistics will be available courtesy of GoRedFoxes.com.
• The Marist women's soccer Twitter account, @MaristWSoccer, will provide in-game updates throughout the match.

 

LEADING THE WAY

• Earlier this week, Head Coach Brittany Kolmel named graduate student Lauren Couto and junior Samantha Sturno as team captains for the 2021 season.
• Couto, a Class of 2021 Marist graduate, returns for her final year of eligibility that was granted due to the pandemic. The two-time MAAC All-Academic selection has appeared in 19 games throughout her career.
• Sturno has started 17 of her 20 career games on the back line, including 16 straight affairs. Her first two career assists came in the last two games Marist has played, both against Quinnipiac.

 

CREATING THE CULTURE

• Kolmel, Couto, and Sturno caught up with the Red Fox Network this week to discuss how the team's preseason went, what kind of culture they're looking to build, and their expectations for the upcoming year.
• To watch the video, please click the image at the top of the article.

 

PRESEASON OUTLOOK

• Marist was tabbed eighth in the 2021 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced on Thursday morning. The Red Foxes did not have a selection on the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
• To view the full poll and the team, check out the MAAC's announcement.

 

POSITION BREAKDOWN

• The preseason was packed with learning and opportunity for the Red Foxes, as the coaching staff had a traditional camp to implement the game plan while evaluating each player's skill.
• This year's edition of the Red Foxes will feature many new faces; 17 of the 35 rostered student-athletes have either played one or zero games in a Marist uniform, leaving ample playing time for the taking.

 

GOALKEEPERS

• Senior Natalie Kelchner and sophomore Kelly Lambertson are the two netminders heading into the season.
• Kelchner took over the starting job just before MAAC play in 2019 and hasn't looked back since, ranking top-25 in Division I in save percentage and saves per game at the end of the year. She racked up a career-high 13 saves in Marist's lone 2020-21 match, tied for 12-highest in the country that year.
• Lambertson, who did not see time between the pipes last year, benefits from a traditional preseason camp with the staff.

 

FORWARDS

• This unit is the Red Foxes' most experienced in terms of returning players, and will have a mix of veteran student-athletes and new faces this year.
• Seniors Victoria Colatosti (team-high seven goals and 16 points in 2019) and Kaylin Sperley (three goals and over 1,000 minutes played in 2019), as well as junior Leah Barbieri (nine starts in 17 games in 2019), have the lion's share of minutes in the group, and should continue to contribute to the Red Fox offense.
• After making impacts off the bench throughout the last two years, seniors Chiara Di Palma and Haley Guertin, junior Brooke Cergol, and sophomore Bridget Dudziec vie for increased roles.
• Newcomer Grace DiVincenzo has impressed in camp and will see early playing time.

 

MIDFIELDERS

• Arguably, the midfield unit features the most opportunity for minutes, and saw former captain Nicole Sasso and Katey Samarro graduate after the spring.
• Senior Abby Murphy (three goals, one assist in 2019) provides the most offensive production from the last two seasons among the group, while Couto also adds experience up the middle.
• Making their Marist debuts last year, redshirt junior Taylor Hennig and sophomores Amanda Caldarelli and Chance Hendricks saw action against the Bobcats; Caldarelli provided the Red Foxes' first goal in the first half and started alongside Hendricks, while Hennig came off the bench.
• In addition, freshmen Christina Layden, Autumn Smith, and Lauryn Schmidt have performed well, with Schmidt earning a position competing for minutes at a forward spot as well.

 

DEFENDERS

• With the forwards having more returners and the midfielders seeing more of a changing of the guard, the back line has a mix of both identities in their personnel.
• Sturno, along with senior Riley Abate (almost 1,700 minutes while starting all 19 games in 2019), proved to be solid starting defenders that can also push the ball up on offense.
• Graduate students Britt Van Lenten and Deanna Lomino, the latter of whom transfers in from Siena for her fifth year, have operated on the back line in multiple practice drills, and can lend experience to the group from playing in the MAAC the previous four seasons.
• Junior Sydney Dydensborg and sophomore Kaitlyn Bogucki aim to garner more minutes, while freshman Bella Lazzaro has also made her case to make an immediate impact.

 

SCOUTING LOYOLA

• The Greyhounds went 3-2-1 in the abbreviated 2020-21 spring season, reaching the Patriot League semifinals before falling to Navy.
• Entering this year, Loyola (MD) is ranked fifth in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Juniors Paige Sim and Ada Clare Tampert earned spots on the Preseason All-League Team.

 

SERIES HISTORY

• The Greyhounds lead the all-time series 13-6-4, dating back to when the two teams were MAAC rivals.
• However, since 2010, Marist has won five of the last six matches, holding Loyola to three goals in that stretch.
• In 2019, the two teams met for the first time in seven years. The Red Foxes earned a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory. Sperley converted a penalty kick goal in the 76th minute, then Kristen Prevosto headed a Colatosti volley into the net with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
• Marist's first MAAC Championship came at the hands of the Greyhounds. The Red Foxes won 1-0 in Maryland in 2011 off Amanda Epstein's goal in the 43rd minute. Caitlin Landsman notched a shutout between the pipes.