ALBANY, N.Y. – The UAlbany women's soccer program enters the 2026 season with a roster that combines a majority of returning athletes with eight newcomers.
 
Head coach Sade Ayinde and the Great Danes look to climb the America East standings in 2026 as she enters her fifth season leading the Great Danes.
 
Ayinde on the 2026 season: "Sunday will be a great first test for us against a very solid BU squad. After a longer preseason, the team is ready for competitive play to get going and to show the soccer world the work we put into this off season. Our non-conference schedule will help prepare us for America East play as we aim to make a run into postseason play. There is a lot of returning experience and some new faces coming together to guide our team through some quality opponents. We are excited for a great season of Great Danes soccer!"
 
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The Great Danes return 16 student-athletes from last season's team including two of their three top goalscorers, senior Flo Bartholomai and sophomore Tamia Nelson. Joining them is redshirt sophomore Claudia Volino, who in 2025, finished the season ranked 21^st in the nation with 5.88 save per game, and 23^rd in the nation with 100 total save while spending every minute in goal accumulating 1,530 minutes. Junior Mariella Fulcher recorded the most minutes of any returning field player with 1,101. Other returning players include Maredith Blannett, Carsyn Boyer, Julia DiRaddo, Brielle Fitzpatrick, Ava Incorvaia, Sydney Kofton, Jill Lindner, Angie McLoughlin, Anna Nassivera, Jolie Pye, Sara Tyler, and Lauren Villasin.
 
From the Portal
The team will also add four transfers to their roster. Graduate student Alexa Fritz joins as a goalkeeper who previously spent the last four years at Linfield University. Last season Fritz started all 19 matches for the Wildcats, recorded eight shutouts, and was named Second Team All-Northwest Conference. From Indian Hills Community College, junior Kiara Levac joins the squad after earning ICCAC All-Region honors last season while adding 9 goals and 14 assists in 17 matches. Junior Maddie Eddy joins the squad after spending the past two seasons with Merrimack, where she was named to the MAAC All-Academic team in 2025 and scored 3 goals prior to injury keeping her off the field. Rounding out a strong group of transfers is junior Liyah Menilek. Menilek previously competed at St. Bonaventure and Missouri State University, in addition to earning youth national team experience with the Guyana U20 Women's National Team.
 
Fresh New Faces
The squad also gains four freshmen, Oluchi Njoku, Ava Phillips, Lila Algarin, and Julianna Ortega. Njoku hails from Pelham, N.Y. where she attended Pelham Memorial High School. Njoku competed for the New York Soccer Club (NYSC), located in Purchase, N.Y., and helped them to the 2025 Girls Academy Northeast Championship. Phillips joins from Middletown, N.J., where she attended high school at Red Bank Catholic and played club soccer at PDA White, located in Somerset, N.J., for six years. Algarin comes from Miami, Fla. to join the Great Danes. She attended Palmer Trinity School, and most recently played for the Sunrise Sting. Algarin has also spent time representing the Dominican Republic on the national stage, her most recent call-up was for the 2026 FIFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers. Julianna Ortega attended DePaul Catholic and calls Nutley, N.J. home. Ortega earned First Team All-Conference honors at DePaul Catholic and played four years at MatchFit Academy, located in Morristown, N.J.
 
2025 Recap
UAlbany finished the 2025 season with a 2-13-2 overall record which featured a victory over America East opponents NJIT, with a goal in the final minute coming off the boot of Casey Stowell, to secure the Great Danes 2-1 victory. With a strong group of returners and a talented incoming class, the Great Danes will look to compete for a spot in the 2026 America East Tournament.
 
2026 Schedule Preview
The 2026 season begins on Sunday, August 16, when the Great Danes take on Boston University in their Home Opener at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium, in Albany, N.Y. The Purple and Gold will follow up their home opener with a trip to Loudonville, N.Y. where they'll take on crosstown rivals Siena, in the Capital Region Derby.
 
Additionally, UAlbany will play four other nonconference matches on its home pitch against Quinnipiac (Aug. 29), Stonehill (Sep. 3), Le Moyne (Sep. 6), and Stony Brook (Sep. 13) respectively.
 
The Great Danes will begin America East play on September 20 in Orono, Maine when they take on the Black Bears. UAlbany's home conference schedule features contests against NJIT (Sep. 27), Binghamton (Oct. 1), UMass Lowell (Oct. 11), and Bryant (Oct. 18).
 
Promotional Schedule

• Aug. 16 vs. Boston University – Youth Soccer Day
• Aug. 29 vs. Quinnipiac – Welcome Back
• Sept. 3 vs. Stonehill – World Soccer Celebration
• Sept. 6 vs. Le Moyne – End of Summer Bash
• Sept. 13 vs. Stony Brook – Alumni Day
• Sept. 27 vs. NJIT – Conference Opener
• Oct. 1 vs. Binghamton – Pink Game (T-Shirt Giveaway)
• Oct. 11 vs. UMass Lowell – Kids Day
• Oct. 18 vs. Bryant – Senior Day

Attention fans! In addition to each games promotion, before every match, our starting XI will be throwing out T-shirts into the stands, so make sure to get there at kickoff.
 
America East Preseason Poll

1. Maine | 60 (4)
2. Binghamton | 58 (4)
3. Vermont | 53 (1)
4. UMass Lowell | 40
5. New Hampshire | 35
6. Bryant | 33
7. NJIT | 20
8. UMBC | 16
9. UAlbany | 9

 
For the 2026 UAlbany women's soccer season, all home games will be streamed on ESPN+. Streaming links for each match can be found on the UAlbany women's soccer schedule page, as well as at plus.espn.com.
 
America East Championships
The 2026 America East Women's Soccer Championships are set to open on Thursday, November fifth with quarterfinal matches. Semifinal matches are slated for Sunday, November eighth, before the championship game which will either be held on Saturday, November 14 or Sunday, November 15.
 
Social Central: For more information on the UAlbany women's soccer team, follow the squad's official social media accounts on X and Instagram and UAlbany Athletics on Facebook.