Soccer Begins Preseason Camp at Earliest Date Ever

MOREHEAD, Ky. | The NCAA brought about new changes to the women's soccer schedule this year and consequently, Morehead State began preseason practice a week earlier than normal, Monday, July 20. The Eagles return 17 players and welcomed nine newcomers for the 2026 campaign.

With the new starting dates, the NCAA also shifted the season opener to August 12. The Blue and Gold will begin its campaign one day later, Thursday, Aug. 13, when it hits the road to face Marshall. Prior to that, MSU will travel to compete in a pair of exhibitions, Wednesday, Aug. 5 at Chicago State and Saturday, Aug. 8 at Ohio.

In 2025, the opening practice was on July 29 and the first regular-season game was on August 14. The new schedule gives the Eagles 24 days of preseason compared to last year's 17.

Head coach Paul Cox believes his team is benefiting from the additional time as it prepares for its first contests.

"The extra week has allowed us to taper back from previous years," he said. "It's allowed us to focus on certain areas of our game in greater depth, as we have more time to rest and recover (compared) to previous years and (it) allows the freshman to integrate easier."

The Eagles are coming off a 3-13-2 campaign in which they finished 1-6-2 and in ninth place in the Ohio Valley Conference. They lost nine players off that squad, including six letter winners and five starters.

Among OVC squads, the team ranked fifth in saves per game (5.22), sixth in shots per game (10.94), sixth in fouls per game (8.22), seventh in shutouts per game (0.28), seventh in yellow cards per game (0.61), eighth in goals per game (0.44), eighth in goals against average (2.06), ninth in points per game (1.44), ninth in assists per game (0.56), ninth in corners per game (2.72) and ninth in offside calls per game (1.06).

MSU returns 50 percent of its goal scorers and 62.5 percent of its assists from 2025. However, the biggest difference between last year and this fall will be in net. All 1,620 minutes of playing time by the goalkeepers will need to be replaced.

Claire Cress and Sofia Rodriguez combined to make 91 saves, post five shutouts and a .711 save percentage and a 2.06 GAA in 2025. Cress started 21 games over the last two seasons, notched a 1.60 GAA and was in the net for six of the squad's 12 wins over that time.

Redshirt sophomore Allie Lammers and freshman Amira Hendrick will be the primary combatants for the top spot, with redshirt freshman Hannah Sullivan also in the mix. Lammers earned third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors last fall at Evansville after posting a 6-4-2 record, with a 1.00 goals-against average, 46 saves, a 0.793 save percentage and five shutouts for the Purple Aces. Hendrick is a two-time state champion from national powerhouse Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Ky. There she finished 2025 with a 0.4 GAA, 3.8 saves per game and eight shutouts over 25 contests resulting in earning first-team all-state honors. Sullivan did not play last season. She started for four years at Eastern High School in Louisville and averaged 11.35 spg for her career.

Increasing the offensive production will be key to success this year. The Eagles will need to replace the 1,806 minutes, 18 shots, one goal and two assists that departed the squad after last fall.

Coach Cox was hoping he would have redshirt freshman forward Joni Bandi available this year, but the Swiss national suffered an injury over the summer and will miss her second straight campaign. In the spring, she was the team's leading scorer as it finished 2-2-1. Redshirt junior forward Keara Chaffee also made an impact last spring after missing all but eight minutes of one game in the fall. Chaffee transferred to MSU in January 2025 after playing 27 games at Omaha between 2023 and 2024.

Sophomore forward Jade Walton is fast and brings a powerful shot but had just one goal and one assist last season. She led the 2025 club with 37 shots. More will be expected from her this fall.

A trio of juniors will look to bolster the scoring this season. Transfer Ashton Lynam comes over from Western Kentucky, where she had three goals and two assists in her two years with the Hilltoppers. Ava Peck, a 2024 OVC All-Newcomer selection, and Carly Gilbert will be asked to contribute offensively as well. Peck started 16 games last fall and took 18 shots. In her first season with the club, she scored three goals and had two assists. Gilbert, who played in 17 games and started four in 2025, has taken 17 shots in her career and registered one assist.

Freshman Ashlyn Francis will look to crack the rotation after scoring 22 times over her final three seasons at Castle High School in Newburgh, Ind.

The team's 2025 All-OVC Newcomer selection, sophomore defender Faith Peper, will anchor the back line. As a freshman, she recorded two goals on 15 shots and is the team's top returning player on offense. Peper was named as an OVC "Player to Watch" in 2025.

One of two four-year team members, senior defender Hannah Burke joins Peper as an OVC "Player to Watch". Burke, who had a team-best three assists last fall, was an All-OVC Newcomer choice in 2023. Over her career, she has played 51 games, starting 43. Burke enters the year with seven career assists, which ranks one spot outside of the school's top 10. She was 10th in the conference in assists per game last year.

Senior Hannah Carter serves as the defensive captain on the back line. She was the only Eagle to start all 18 games last fall and played a team-high 1,563 minutes. Her experience will be an asset to an otherwise youthful group.

A pair of experienced defenders will vie for roles on the back line.

Sophomore Olivia Lowe took a while to adjust to the college game, but once she did she played a major role on the defense, finishing the season with 12 starts, 1,181 minutes and seven shots.

Sophomore defender Kennedy Harmon transferred from High Point, where she played in 12 games. She is a three-time all-region selection from Scott County High School in Georgetown, Ky.

Freshman Aniya Harriott will push for playing time. A one-time member of the Jamaican U18 National Team, she brings a pedigree of success to the program after helping her high school to a state championship in Florida last year.

One area Coach Cox will be looking to see marked improvement is in the midfield, where the Eagles will need to replace the production of graduates Karissa Vela, Kennedy Baquero and Kamryn Baquero, who combined to play 54 games and 3,383 minutes, start 44 times and record seven points (three goals and one assist) last season.
 
Cox will turn to senior Molly Tapak to lead the way. Tapak was one of the first subs off the bench in the second half of last year and serves as one of the club's coaches on the field. After playing two seasons at Southern Illinois, she recorded seven shots in 1,085 minutes in 2025.

Northern Iowa transfer sophomore Aynslea Ulschmid and freshman Kendall Anderson offer promise as replacements to the graduation departures. The pair brings size to the position. Ulschmid started 11 games and took 21 shots for UNI last fall after a highly successful prep career in Minnesota. Anderson scored 57 goals during her high school tenure and earned all-state honors in two sports: soccer and basketball.

Three other sophomores will vie for playing time. Hailey Repreza, Charlotte Lee and Addison Petry played for a total of 1,710 minutes last year. They will look to expand their roles with the Eagles. Repreza had the greatest impact in 2025, finishing the season with 10 shots and one assist. Lee started six games and took nine shots, while Petry started four times and got off four shots, scoring in the win against Western Illinois.

Redshirt junior Gwen Ladd, sophomore Natalie Lentine and sophomore Alyssa Brians saw limited action last fall. Ladd, the other four-year team member, has battled injuries throughout her career, but did see the pitch three times in 2025. Lentine played in just four games, while Brians got into two games last fall. All will attempt to expand their roles this season.  

Freshman Gaia Fubelli, who brings a wealth of club experience, joins the vets also looking to work her way into the lineup.

In addition to featuring the earliest exhibition and regular-season games in school history and the start of the postseason going a week later than previous years, the schedule brings several challenges including a stretch of 13 contests in the first 47 days and 12 games against opponents which posted.500 or better records last fall. There also are advantages built into the 20-game slate, including the team's longest home stand in nine seasons (four games) and a guaranteed berth to the eight-team OVC Tournament in November. In addition, MSU will have an opportunity to avenge 10 defeats it suffered in 2025.

"We've started strong with the best fitness tests scores we've had," Cox said. "We've adjusted well to a new defensive structure, and we are eager to play a game and look forward to a great team bonding trip to Chicago."