BRISTOL, R.I. — Following a successful 2025 campaign, the Roger Williams University women's soccer team prepares to open its 2026 season with a 17-game schedule, looking to build on last year's 10-3-6 overall record and 5-1-4 mark in Conference of New England play. Head Coach Katy LaBella enters her third season at the helm of the Hawks, having guided the program to a 19-8-12 record during her tenure.
The Hawks finished fifth in the CNE standings last season and earned a spot in the conference tournament before falling 2-0 to the University of New England in the CNE First Round.
Entering the 2026 campaign, Roger Williams returns a strong core from last year's squad, including senior forward and captain Mya D'Antonio (Marshfield, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Camryn Dickinson (Quaker Hill, Conn.), senior forward Beth Yucius (Duxbury, Mass.) and senior captain and defender Sarah Fogarty (Scituate, Mass.).
D'Antonio led the Hawks in 2025 with 23 points on eight goals and seven assists, while Yucius added eight goals and four assists for 20 points. Dickinson recorded five goals and a team-leading nine assists for 19 points. D'Antonio and Dickinson both earned CNE Second Team honors.
Fogarty also returns after appearing in 13 games last season, contributing two goals and one assist after missing several games due to injury.
Collectively, D'Antonio, Yucius and Dickinson give Roger Williams back its top three-point scorers from the 2025 campaign, providing the Hawks with an experienced offensive foundation entering the new season.
New Faces Look to Make an Impact
Head Coach Katy LaBella welcomes 11 new players to the Hawks' roster in 2026, including seven first-year players and four transfers. With a large group of newcomers joining the program, Roger Williams will look to blend the experience of its returning players with the energy and talent of its incoming class.
Junior midfielder Isabella Vena joins the Hawks after transferring from Johnson & Wales, where she earned 2025 CNE Second Team and CNE Academic All-Conference Team honors. She appeared in 18 matches and logged 1,284 minutes last season. LaBella highlighted Vena's grit, resilience and determination and expects her experience to make an impact on the Hawks' attack.
First-year midfielder Madelyn Riebold (Deep River, Conn.) will also look to make an impact in her first season with the Hawks, bringing her talent and skill set to the Roger Williams midfield.
With 11 new faces joining the program, LaBella believes the team's ability to come together as one group will be an important part of the Hawks' success in 2026. The team has embraced the newcomers early in the preseason, with returners and new players alike competing and building chemistry throughout training.
"We're really excited about the group we have coming together this season. With 11 new players seven freshmen and four transfers there are certainly a lot of new faces, but we've been really proud of how quickly everyone has embraced one another and started to gel. Our returners have done a great job welcoming the new players, and the entire team has been putting in the work and competing every day in training. We're excited about the growth we've already seen and the potential of this group. We believe we have the ability to do some great things this season, and we can't wait to get started." Said LaBella.
New Look in Goal
For the first time in four seasons, Roger Williams will have a new starting goalkeeper following the graduation of Coco Marrelli, who was named the 2025 Conference of New England Goalkeeper of the Year.
With Marrelli's departure, the Hawks enter the 2026 season with three goalkeepers on the roster, giving each an opportunity to compete for the starting role and help anchor the Roger Williams defense.
2026 Schedule
The Hawks open the 2026 season on Sept. 1, traveling to Hartford, Connecticut, to take on the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at 4 p.m.
Roger Williams then returns to Bristol for its home opener on Sept. 3, hosting Regis at 6 p.m. at Bayside Field. The Hawks continue their early-season home stretch against Emerson on Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. before hosting Wheaton (Mass.) on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
Conference of New England play begins on Sept. 12, when the Hawks travel to Boston for a 4 p.m. matchup against Wentworth. Roger Williams will face a challenging conference slate that includes matchups against Salve Regina, Western New England, UMass Dartmouth, Endicott, Rhode Island College, Gordon, Suffolk and Nichols throughout September and October.
The Hawks will host Rhode Island College on Oct. 3 at 12 p.m. for Senior Day before continuing conference play against Gordon on Oct. 7.
One of the most anticipated matchups of the 2026 season comes on Oct. 24, when the Hawks travel to Maine to face the University of New England. The matchup provides Roger Williams with an opportunity for redemption after UNE ended the Hawks' 2025 season with a 2-0 victory in the CNE First Round.
The Hawks then return home to close out the regular season on Oct. 27, hosting Curry College at 7 p.m. under the lights.
With a strong group of returners, eager new faces, and a competitive battle for the starting goalkeeper position, Roger Williams enters the 2026 season looking to turn last year's successful campaign into an even deeper postseason run.
