Holy Cross Women's Soccer: Five Things To Watch

Bak is Back

Head coach Kyle Bak returns for his second, and first full, season with the women’s soccer program. His first season, an abbreviate 2020 campaign played in the spring of 2021, only consisted of four games. Bak led the Crusaders to a 2-1 victory over Lafayette in his first ever game as a head coach, before dropping the remaining three contests to Boston University, Army, and Colgate.

Bak saw great success as an associate head coach at Providence, consistently helping to lead the team to the postseason and finish with records above .500.

Sights Set on a Full Schedule

The Crusaders are currently slated to play a full schedule consisting of 17 games, nine of which will come against Patriot League competition. Holy Cross will open the season on Aug. 19 at UMass Lowell, before returning to Worcester for its home opener on Aug. 22 against Siena.

Patriot League play will begin on Sept. 18 at American. The rest of the conference schedule features away games at Lehigh, Boston University, Lafayette, and Colgate, and home matchups with Army, Bucknell, Loyola, and Navy.

Click here to view the full schedule.

Goalkeeper Question

With three-year starter and 2019 All-Patriot League second team selection Sophia Lettieri lost to graduation, the question of who will see the majority of minutes in goal for the Crusaders this season has yet to be answered. Lettieri left big shoes to fill as she posted some impressive numbers during her time on The Hill. In program history, Lettieri ranks seventh in save percentage (.789), sixth in shutouts (10), and second in goals against average (1.19).

Junior Izzy Castagnetti, sophomore Mackenzie Wagner, and freshman Olivia Dubin make up the goalkeeper group on this year’s roster. It will be a storyline to follow to see who emerges as the team’s new No. 1.

Consistent Core

All five players who recorded at least a point last season are back this year. Seniors Lexi Ansaldi (one goal) and Caroline Harkins (one assist), juniors Claire Carew (two assists) and Katie Quinn (one goal), and sophomore Ellie Zern (one goal) make up those five and will likely be counted on again this season to help generate some offense.

Another positive sign for the Crusaders is that 10 of the 11 field players who started at least three games last season return for this year, with Sydney Fisher being the only loss in that category.

Fresh Faces

Fans will see 10 new faces suiting up for the Crusaders this season. An eight-player freshman class consists of Dubin, Allie Water, Jacqueline Snyder, Alyssa Pettet, Grace Soltesz, Emily Bubonovich, Chiara Greco, and Ashley Blaka.

In addition, Holy Cross’ lineup will feature two transfers. Junior Colleen McIlvenna will see her first action in purple after transferring last year from Tennessee. She wasn’t able to play last season as she had already competed during a collegiate season in 2020-21 with the Volunteers. Sophomore Samantha Adams will also make her Crusader debut after transferring from Providence.