With hopes of getting more production on offense, Marist University women’s soccer opens the 2026 season on Aug. 16 at defending America East regular-season champion Binghamton.
For the home opener, the Red Foxes will face Colgate on Aug. 20 in the first of three meetings with Patriot League teams. The home opener for the re-branded Metro Conference is Sept. 5 against Merrimack.
Marist will face four non-conference foes from a year ago, having lost each of the contests: Binghamton, Colgate, Aug. 23 vs. Fordham and Aug. 27 vs. Holy Cross. In league play, the Red Foxes beat Saint Peter’s, Sacred Heart, Niagara, Merrimack and Canisius; tied Iona, Siena, Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Mount Saint Mary’s; and lost to Manhattan, Rider and Canisius (quarterfinal playoff).
Last season, Marist was held scoreless is six of the final eight matches (forging three scoreless draws). Marist was held scoreless in only two of its opening 11 matches in 2025.
Coach Nicole Pacapelli Ciano heads into her fourth season, losing eight seniors and grad students to graduation. Expected back are two rising seniors, 11 rising juniors and six rising sophomores.
Marist hasn’t posted winning seasons since 2018 and 2019. The Red Foxes last clinched the Metro regular-season title in 2012.
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Marist women’s soccer
2026 schedule
(2025: 6-8-5; 5-2-5 Metro Atlantic, sixth place)
August
Sun. 16 – at Binghamton (10-2-5, 5-0-3 America East, first), 1 p.m.; Thur. 20 – vs. Colgate (9-6-4, 6-2-1 Patriot, second), 4 p.m.; Sun. 23 – vs. Fordham (10-7-3, 5-4-1 Atlantic 10, T-fifth)), 1 p.m.; Thur. 27 – vs. Holy Cross (6-7-6, 3-3-3 Patriot, T-fourth), 7 p.m.; Sun. 30 – at Navy (9-6-4, 2-3-4 Patriot, seventh), 1 p.m.
September
Sat 5 – vs. Merrimack* (4-12-2, 3-9 MAAC, eleventh), 1 p.m.; Sat. 12 – at Sacred Heart* (11-9-2, 7-5 MAAC, T-fourth), noon; Sat. 19 – at Quinnipiac* (8-3-6, 8-0-4 MAAC, second), noon; Wed. 23 – vs. Manhattan* (7-6-5, 6-5-1 MAAC, seventh), 7 p.m.; Sat. 26 – vs. Niagara* (6-8-2, 3-7-2 MAAC, ninth), 7 p.m.
October
Sat. 3 – at Mount Saint Mary’s* (3-12-2, 1-9-2 MAAC, thirteenth), noon; Wed. 7 – vs. Fairfield* (15-2-2, 10-0-2 MAAC, first), 7 p.m.; Sat. 10 – at Canisius* (8-8-3, 7-4-1 MAAC, third), noon; Sat. 17 – vs. Saint Peter’s* (6-9-3, 3-8-1 MAAC, tenth), 7 p.m.; Wed. 21 – at Iona* (6-10-3, 4-6-2 MAAC, eighth), 1 p.m.; Sat. 24 – vs. Rider* (3-8-7, 1-6-5 MAAC, twelfth), 7 p.m.
November
Wed. 4 – at Siena* (9-5-6, 6-3-3 MAAC, T-fourth), 2 p.m.; Sun. 8 – Metro tournament begins
Home matches played at Town of Poughkeepsie’s Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field; asterisk marks Metro Conference match; the 2025 overall and league records in parenthesis; all home and Metro matches webcast on ESPN Plus (subscription)
Marist recent records
(under coach Nicole Pacapelli Ciano): 2025 – 6-8-5 (5-2-5 MAAC, sixth place); 2024 – 3-11-3 (3-7-2, eleventh); 2023 – 2-9-5 (2-5-3, ninth)
2022 – 5-7-5 (3-5-2, sixth); 2021 – 5-7-3 (4-4-2, seventh); spring 2021 (COVID) – 0-1 (0-1); 2019 – 10-8-1 (5-4-1, T-fourth); 2018 – 9-8-2 (7-2-1, second); 2017 – 8-8-3 (5-3-2, fifth); 2016 – 10-9-1 (5-4-1, sixth); 2015 – 7-11-2 (6-3-1, T-third); 2014 – 2-12-4 (1-6-3, T-ninth); 2013 – 8-10-2 (6-4, fourth); 2012 – 15-7 (8-1, first); 2011 – 13-6-2 (7-1-1, first); 2010 – 10-9-1, 6-2-1, second); 2009 – 8-10-2 (3-5-1, seventh)
2026 preliminary roster
Rising seniors – No. 5 Kelsey Peduto, D; No. 8 Delia Hahn, F
Rising juniors – No. 0 Nelly Bianchi-Nagle, GK; No. 1 Samantha Graf, GK; No. 3 Gabby Tirado, F (All-MAAC second team); No. 10 Caroline Liptak, D/MF; No. 12 Ariana Mullin, F; No. 13 Riley Benito, D; No. 15 Margaret Johnson, F; No. 17 Sophia DeJoia, D/MF; No. 24 Sophia Dorsey, D/MF; No. 26 Giavanna Meservy, D/MF; No. 28 Julia Oliveira, MF/F
Rising sophomores – No. 6 Riley Mills, D; No. 11 Jiji Sweiss, MF; No. 16 Ella Bryan, F; No. 18 Alexis Greenblott, F; No. 19 Mia Katchouni, MF; No. 27 Elaina Perrotta, D; No. 29 Isabella Seibert, MF
Incoming freshmen – Yet to be released
Coaches: Nicole Pacapelli Ciano, head coach; Mackenzie Hanna, assistant
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Marist women’s soccer opens play Aug. 16 at Binghamton
Reporting by Ken McMillan, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ken McMillan, Middletown Times Herald- Record | USA TODAY Network
