ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy women's soccer team begins its 33rd collegiate campaign this Thursday afternoon with a road tilt in western Pennsylvania at Robert Morris University. The Mids ('24: 9-10-2) and Colonials ('24: 6-7-6) will be meeting up in their first matchup of their series since 2002. Kickoff in Moon Township is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday. Navy will then quickly turn its attention to its 2025 home opener at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on Sunday. Back in their friendly confines along the Severn River, the Mids will host the Temple Owls ('24: 2-17) in a rematch from last September. The referee will whistle in the action starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

All of the women's soccer action this week will have live stats provided online, as well as ESPN+ broadcasts. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.

Navy vs. Robert Morris | Navy vs. Horizon League | Navy vs. Temple | Navy vs. American Athletic Conference
This week's matchups feature a pair of rarely seen opponents ... Navy has only gone head-to-head once all-time with Robert Morris and saw the Mids come out on top 8-1 on Nov. 4, 2002 ... Navy has only four matchups in its program history versus foes from the Horizon League and sits 2-2 over that run of play: IU Indy (1-0; 9/2/07, 3-0 W), Robert Morris (11/4/02; 8-1 W) and Wright State (0-2; 10/5/97; 3-1 L and 9/30/01; 2-1 L)

While frequent combatants in spring exhibition action, the Mids and Owls have rarely met up in fall competition ... Currently knotted at 1-1-1, the series had laid dormant for 29 years as prior to last September's contest in Philadelphia, the previous matchup came as part of the 1995 Lafayette Invitational on Sept. 2 in Easton, Pa.; Navy was victorious by a 2-1 score ... The first-ever Navy-Temple contest occurred 11 months earlier on Oct. 14, 1994 in Annapolis; that game ended in a 2-2 draw ... In the history of the Navy women's soccer program, the Mids have gone up against American Athletic Conference opponents nin4 different times and have come away with a 3-4-2 record: vs. Temple (1-1-1), Tulsa (1-0), USF (0-1-1), Rice (0-1), UTSA (0-1) and Tulane (1-0 ... note: the Green Wave shuttered its program following the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005)

Most Recent Navy-Temple Matchup: September 15, 2024
The Navy women's soccer team rounded out its non-conference slate with a road contest at Temple University on Sunday afternoon. After 90 minutes of end-to-end action, the host Owls were victorious by a score of 1-0 over the Mids at the Temple Sports Complex.

Navy's goalkeeper Natasha Stramrood highlighted the team's individual efforts on Sunday as she matched her career-high with seven saves.

The first half was filled with action up-and-down the pitch as Navy controlled the majority of the possession and chances in the first 10 minutes with three shots.

The back-and-forth action reached a crescendo at 30:54 when Yao Zhou was on the receiving end of two quick passes in the goal box to re-direct a shot into the back of the net to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Trailing with just over 14 minutes left in the first half, Navy kept its focus on netting an equalizer and had two high-percentage looks as Kayana Adlam was hit in stride with a through ball over the top in the 37th minute before a Temple defender pushed her off the ball temporarily to allow the goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe to use that brief break of daylight to pounce on the loose ball. In the waning seconds of the half, Hannah Mulholland launched a free kick that skipped through the box and found Amanda Graziano, who flicked a shot wide.

The opening 15 minutes of the second half was fairly even as both teams were credited with three shots, though two of the Owls' attempts required saves by Stramrood, while only Adlam's shot in the 60th minute forced Bynoe into action.

A few minutes later, Alexa Riddle had one of her patented sprints to the end line and cross into the box. After placing a line drive grounder to the on-coming Cosenza, the sophomore attacker rocketed a shot past Temple's goalkeeper, but squarely into the cross bar.

Trailing 1-0 in the 70th minute, Stramrood made sure her team stayed within striking distance as she denied the Owls' look at an insurance goal when Gabby Oudin snapped a header shot after receiving a curling free kick to the near post; Stramrood read the cross the whole way and quickly snagged Oudin's attempt.

The end-to-end action continued as Isabella Romano fed Cosenza for a one-time shot on goal that was initially saved, but Riddle collected the rebound, had her first shot blocked and then her next shot saved by Bynoe in a matter of seven seconds.

Navy's final shot on goal came in the 84th minute in a well-built up look that saw Marlee Heaven head the ball ahead to Riddle, who headed the ball on one bounce into space where Mulholland met it for a volley shot that was deflected away by Bynum.

For the game, Temple out-shot Navy, 17-12 with an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.

Returning Leaders

(2024 Stats)	Navy	Robert Morris	Temple
Goals	Heaven, 6	Swankler, 6	Atkins, 3
Assists	Abusham, 4	Swankler, 5	Atkins, 2
Points	Heaven, 12	Swankler, 17	Atkins, 8
Shots	Cosenza, 33	Swankler, 46	Atkins, 22
GK Saves	Stramrood, 94	N/A	Bynoe, 115

Season Outlook: 
Experienced Earned in 2024 Looks to Pay Dividends for Mids in 2025
While saying goodbye to the small, but influential Class of 2025 that consisted of Emma Frommelt (M), Amanda Graziano (M), Tatum Kelly (D), Alexa Riddle (F) and Rylee Rives (M), the Navy women's soccer team has great expectations this fall as it returns 15 letterwinners, including seven starters. A leading factor in the Mids' potential this season will be the continued growth of its sophomore and junior classes as both earned valuable reps in 2024 and occupied key roles for the team. 

The base for the 2025 team is strong as Navy returns 65 percent of its goal scoring and 61 percent of its total assists. Backed by the duo of sophomore Natasha Stramrood and senior Talley Applewhite, the Mids' goalkeeping ranks are back at 100 percent from 2024.

A Position-by-Position Breakdown of the 2025 Roster
Forwards
The senior class will be well represented in Navy's forward corps in 2025. The trio of Mimi Abusham, Marlee Heaven and Isabella Romano combined to score nine goals and add five assists last season. Abusham has provided the Mids with creative playmaking with five goals and seven assists during her first three years of competition. The California native was on her way to her most productive season with four helps in just eight games before suffering a season-ending injury in the team's non-conference matchup versus Ohio State. Heaven's game revolves around finding the back of the net as she's scored 11 goals with a season-best six coming last fall, including three of the game-winning variety. Romano has been a consistent threat both setting up and knocking home goals during her career with Navy as she's scored 10 goals and assisted on seven others. Chiara Cosenza highlights the Mids' junior class as she broke through in 2024 with appearances in all 21 games and tallied four goals with two assists. Navy was an undefeated 4-0 in games that Cosenza scored in last season. A steady influence for the Mids' forward contingent off the bench throughout the season, fellow junior Hannah Mulholland saw time in all 21 games and was on the field for 745 minutes in 2024. She added one goal and one assist. The third member of the Class of 2027 in the forward crew is Madison Whitworth. A go-to source of energy on and off the bench, Whitworth appeared in six games last fall with four of those coming versus Patriot League foes. Sophomore Emily Clay will be looking to complete her comeback from an offseason injury that kept her off the field in 2024. Freshman Sona Gonzales joins the Navy family from Nevada and the Las Vegas Heat Surf program of the ECNL.

Midfielders
Youth and potential rules Navy's midfield ranks in 2025 with six of its seven members being underclassmen. Mori Sokoloff promises to provide the program strong leadership with three years of experience with the Mids. Ande Swan immediately left her mark in her debut season with 1,554 minutes of action as the Mids' starting defensive midfielder from day one. Strong up-and-down the field, Swan added three assists on offense, while rarely leaving the field and her mark on defense. Fellow sophomore, Mackenzie Morrow was active in her first season with 20 games played and 577 minutes of action. She left her mark on the box score versus Marist when she assisted on Amanda Graziano's game-winning goal. The third sophomore in the Navy's midfield rotation is Lizzie Emerson. In limited time in 2024, Emerson tallied two goals and an assist in five games. The Mids' coaching staff re-stocked the midfield with three incoming plebes this season, Jessica Black, Faith Graziano and Katia Katsari-Hoefer. All three newcomers join the program after showcasing a nose for the goal during their high school careers as Black was the leading high school for the state of Colorado as a senior in the spring of 2025, while Graziano competed in the 2023 High School All-American Game and Katsari-Hoefer was recognized as one of Virginia's Top-50 forwards in 2023

Defense
The senior duo of team captain Jordan Townsend and Emma Romano will led the Mids' defensive effort in 2025. Townsend played in and started 20 games for Navy last fall as a central defender, while Romano saw action in all 21 contests and made 20 starts. Romano was a bit more active in the team's offensive plan as she'd join rushes up the wing, adding a pair of assists and taking 15 total shots. The junior class is represented by the trio of Ali Barrow, Lucy Gaines and ClaraJane Williams. All three players provided quality work for the team in reserve roles led by Williams' 13 appearances and 526 minutes of action before sustaining an injury during the second half of the season. Gaines left her mark in 12 games with four starts and aided the team's offense with a pair of goals and an assist, while Barrow played in nine games, including five Patriot League conference contests. The sophomore duo of Kayana Adlam and Lauren Toms provided vibrant flashes of a fruitful future with the Mids during their debut season in 2024. Adlam offered Navy a versatile skillset that saw her in action on both offense and defense depending on the needs of the team at the time. Suiting up in all 21 games, she made five starts and added a goal and an assist over 1,000 minutes of playing time. Toms made an immediate impact as she broke camp as a member of the Starting XI and earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23 after notching the game-winning goal in Navy's victory over Lehigh. Four newcomers to the program are in line to see potential time on defense this fall. The group of Emmalea Sidorsky, Jane Ambrozy, Helen Bonner and Lizzie Fetterman bring varied skills, athleticism, size and playing background to the 2025 roster. Sidorsky hails from Florida and Bonner from Virginia, while Ambrozy and Fetterman will give the Mids a taste of Ohio in their backfield.

Goalkeepers
Navy's "goalkeeper union" returns in full strength in the form of senior Talley Applewhite, junior Cadence Tordai and sophomore Natasha Stramrood. A highly-touted freshman recruit in 2024, Stramrood fought her way into the starting lineup by game three and never relinquished the role as she back-stopped the Mids for the final 19 games of the season. She was kept active and was up to the task as she was tested with seven shots on goal in five separate contests, including in the Patriot League Tournament in hostile territory at Army. Stramrood completed her debut campaign with 94 total saves and three solo shutouts. Applewhite will continue to provide veteran leadership and strong support to the union in 2025. As a junior last season, Applewhite appeared in seven games and started the first two for the Mids. In her 221 minutes of action, she made nine saves and posted a 2.03 goals against average. Tordai continued to bolster the unit's depth and helped the trio complete a combined shutout of Wilson College on August 27.

Patriot League Preseason Poll & All-League Team
2025 Patriot League Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Boston University, 80 (8 first-place votes)
2. Army West Point, 70 (2 first-place votes)
3. Bucknell, 69
4. Navy, 49
5. Loyola Maryland, 48
6. Colgate, 41
7. Lafayette, 33
t-8. Holy Cross, 21
t-8. Lehigh, 21
10. American, 18

2025 Patriot League Preseason Women's Soccer Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year - Margy Porta, Boston University, Sr., F
Midfielder of the Year - Giulianna Gianino, Boston University, Sr., M
Defensive Player of the Year - Helene Tyburczy, Boston University, Sr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year - Bridget Carr, Boston University, So., GK

2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Team
Margy Porta, Boston University, Sr., F
Henna Andican, Bucknell, Sr., F
Katie Connell, Bucknell, So., F
Katrina Santelli, Lafayette, Sr., F
Brigid Duffy, Army West Point, Sr., M
Giulianna Gianino, Boston University, Sr., M
Ari Bezanson, Colgate, Sr., M
Jordan Follenweider, Army West Point, Sr., D
Helene Tyburczy, Boston University, Sr., D
Zoe Willis, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Bridget Carr, Boston University, So., GK