POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Marist women's soccer team earned its first win of the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Merrimack, 1-0, in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field.
Sophomore
Ella Bryan provided the game's lone goal, converting a penalty kick in the 28th minute to give the Red Foxes a lead they would not relinquish.
Marist controlled the offensive action throughout the opening half, recording 10 shots compared to just two for the Warriors. The Red Foxes put seven of their 10 first-half attempts on target, forcing Merrimack goalkeeper Kaitlyn Brewi to make seven saves before halftime.
Bryan nearly opened the scoring earlier in the half, putting a shot on target in the fifth minute that was saved by Brewi. She added another shot on goal in the 24th minute before ultimately finding the back of the net from the penalty spot at 27:52.
The Red Foxes maintained their 1-0 advantage into halftime and continued to pressure Merrimack in the second half. Marist added four more shots after the break, while goalkeeper
Samantha Graf came up with a key save in the 62nd minute to preserve the shutout.
Merrimack threatened late, with Sophia Keogh's shot hitting the woodwork in the 68th minute, but the Marist defense held firm over the final 20 minutes to secure the victory.
Marist finished the afternoon with a 14-8 advantage in shots and put nine attempts on frame compared to just one for Merrimack. Graf recorded one save in the shutout, while Brewi finished with eight saves for the Warriors.
With the victory, Marist improves to 1-5-0 overall and 1-0-0 in conference play, while Merrimack falls to 2-4-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the Metro.Â
Marist will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Red Foxes travel to take on Sacred Heart at noon.
