TOWSON, Md. – The 2026 Towson University women's soccer team is set to start play, looking to compete for a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championship off the back of two seasons where the margins could have changed everything.

SETTING THE STAGE

In 2023, Towson women's soccer won its first CAA championship in program history. Riding that high, the Tigers entered the 2024 season with lofty aspirations. Plagued by draws, Towson ended up not making the CAA Tournament as the third team on a three-way tiebreaker. Much of the same happened in 2025. Towson had three draws in conference play, tied for most of any team, and missed out on qualifying for the CAA Tournament by way of tiebreaker. Both seasons can point to a game that seemingly slipped from the Tigers' grasp.

The 2024 Season

In 2024, the penultimate regular season game against Delaware ended in a scoreless draw. Towson doubled Delaware's shot total, putting up 12 shots to Delaware's six. The Tigers tested the keeper five times more than the Blue Hens with five shots on target. Charleston and Towson played to a 1-1 draw with four games left in the season in a statistically even game, but it was the first time in the Katherine Vettori era that Towson left Charleston without three points. Towson ended the season tied with Delaware and Charleston. One more ball finding the back of the net for the Tigers in either game would have changed everything.

The 2025 Season

The CAA changed the qualification process for the 2025 CAA Tournament. With the conference now split into north and south divisions, only the top three teams from each division would qualify for the CAA Tournament. The Tigers welcomed Hofstra into Towson for their final game in September, a month where they had been unbeaten. The Pride jumped out to an early lead which the Tigers answered with a late goal. Towson remained in a tie for second place with the draw. Coming into the final game of the season, that draw loomed large with Hofstra and Towson. The two sides were even on points which meant Towson would need to get a better result than Hofstra in the final game to make the postseason. Towson and Hofstra would both win their regular season finales, Hofstra's win came on a goal in the 79th minute after losing the second half momentum, and a 2-0 first half lead. Once again, a draw led to the Tigers missing out on the postseason.

ROSTER CONSTRUCTION

The 23-person roster is comprised of 14 returners and nine newcomers. Towson returns 81.25% of the starts, 82.14% of the goals and 70% of the assists from last year's team. The top three players in minutes among field players, goals, points and shots on goal all return for the 2026 season.

The Returners

The Tigers are looking to bounce back with help from the veteran leadership from the 2025 team. Towson earned three All-CAA team honors. All three players, Kale'a Perry (first team), Sophie Thibeault (second team) and Sydney Lindeman (third team) return for the 2026 season. Lindeman and fellow 2025 team captain Brooke Birrell come back for 2026 to anchor the back line. Perry and Thibeault will join Lindeman and Birrell as captains for the 2026 season providing leadership in the attack.

In the midfield, Emma Levin and Sofia Rosenblatt are back to hold down the midfield. The duo started 26 of a possible 32 appearances in the midfield last season. Levin started all 16 games. She played at least 70 minutes in each of the final 15 games including the full 90 minutes in three of the final four games. Rosenblatt was on limited minutes in the middle of the season but came into form over the final stretch of the season, playing the entire game for two straight road games and averaging nearly 85 minutes over the final three games of the season.

Two key freshmen look to continue a promising 2025 campaign. Riley Matthews and Jaelyn White return to the pitch following their impactful initial season at Towson. Matthews was CAA Rookie of the Week after her four-point performance against Mount Saint Mary's. White started eight games, joining the 2025 Towson team captains in the back line. The bulk of White's minutes came during a stretch in September which saw Towson go unbeaten. In games where White played at least 60 minutes, the Tigers only had one loss.

The attack is bolstered by the return of Emely Rubio and Sydney Feiler. Rubio led the CAA in assists and has been honing her skills all over the world this summer. She has been playing for the El Salvador national team with Towson great Riley Melendez and competed with the US Collegiate Futsal Team in Poland. Feiler started 15 of the Tigers' 16 games last season, putting a ball in the back of the net against Florida.

Between the pipes, both goalkeepers from last year's team return. Teagan Gardner returns after playing every minute last season and backup Keagan Williams will also be wearing the keeper's kit this season.

The Newcomers

Nine new Tigers join the fold this season, six freshmen and three transfers. The freshman class is highlighted by two Washington D.C. Player of the Year recipients. Zuri Johnson won District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Chanel Wright won Gatorade DC Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Joining Wright from Maryland United FC are Maya Petrash and Meron Koro. Koro played with the US Collegiate Futsal Team with Rubio in Poland this summer. Rounding out the freshman class are Jayla Caldwell and Sydney Taylor; the latter is one of two internationals on the Tigers' 2026 roster.

Three transfers are coming to Towson. Angel Reid is jumping from the DII ranks to Towson and is the second international on the 2026 roster. The remaining transfers bolster the goalkeeping ranks. Sejal Johnson most recently played for Hartford where she started all 20 games with eight clean sheets. Towson native Emmaline Bell returns to her hometown team after spending the past season at Old Dominion.

THE STORYLINES

Maryland's Finest

Of the six division one women's soccer teams in Maryland since 2022, Towson women's soccer has the most overall and conference wins while having the fewest overall and conference losses. The Tigers are the only team with a winning percentage above .650.

DC's Finest

There are three Gatorade Washington DC Soccer Player of the Year recipients on 2026 women's soccer rosters, two of those play for Towson in Zuri Johnson and Emely Rubio.

Helping Foot

Towson was third in the country last year in assists per goal at 1.43. They topped the list among teams with at least 25 goals.

Tied Up at the Moment

The Tigers are tied for the most ties in the country over the past two seasons. Despite this high total of ties, Towson is the only team with at least six ties each of the past two seasons and 14 total ties to have a winning record.

North/South Split

The move to north and south divisions in the CAA gave a significant boost to the south's chances of winning a conference tournament. Before the switch, a south division team had not won the tournament championship in a non-COVID impacted season since 2011 or even made the championship game since 2015. The new format guarantees a south division team in the championship game. In 2025, the first south division team won the CAA Tournament title in a non-COVID impacted season in 14 years.

Coaching Consistency

Katherine Vettori is entering her ninth season at the helm of Towson women's soccer. In all nine of those seasons, Matt Dwyer and Brad Hartin have been on the staff.

Victorious Vettori

The past five seasons have seen Towson finish the season with at least a .500 winning percentage. Prior to this stretch, there had only been one other time with consecutive winning seasons at Towson. Those seasons came in 1996 and 1997.