Women's Soccer Season Preview
8/24/2022
The Brown women’s soccer team will be looking to three-peat as Ivy League Champions this season after claiming the title in both 2019 and 2021.
“The messaging [to the team] is to play to our potential and be at our best at all times,” head coach Kia McNeill said. “The past two years we’ve gone undefeated in conference play and we just had a talk with the team about ‘Why can’t we extend that to our out-of-conference games?’ I really do feel like our team can play with anybody in the country.
“We have a lot in our hands to control and it starts on Friday for us. We’re excited, the team is energized, and as long as we can stay healthy, I think we can make a good run this year.”
History Within Reach
The Bears have a chance to make history this season. If they successfully defend their Ivy crown, Brown will have claimed the last three iterations of the trophy making them the first Bears team win at least three straight since 1990.
The last time any Ivy team won three outright league titles in a row was in 1997 when Harvard accomplished the feat.
Overall, Brown has claimed first place in the Ivy League 14 times, the most of any program. A title this season would be the Bears’ 15th, with Harvard as the next closest at 13.
Over the last two seasons, Brown is 26-6-3 overall and 13-0-1 in Ivy League action. Another undefeated conference season would be three in a row, a feat the Bears have not accomplished since 1988-90.
Key Returners
Brown returns a wealth of talent from the 2021 team. Seven of the top eight point scorers from last year return for this season.
Headlining the returners is senior All-American Brittany Raphino. The Randolph, Mass. native had a career year as a junior as she posted career-best marks in goals (11), assists (6), and points (28). Both the goals and points led the Ivy League. In addition to her All-American recognition, Raphino was also named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy, and First Team All-Region.
Senior Kayla Duran also returns for her senior year after earning First Team All-Ivy and All-Region last season. The reigning Ivy Defensive Player of the Year also earned CoSida Academic All-American laurels.
Senior Ava Seelenfreund is the third First Team All-Ivy returner from last season. Her eight goals and 18 points on the season were career-highs.
Junior Evelyn Calhoon was named to the All-Ivy Second Team in her first season with the Bears. She scored once and assisted on five other goals for seven points on the season. She figures to play a key role in the midfield this season after playing in 15 games and starting 11 last year.
Seniors Sheyenne Allen and Zoe Maxwell, along with Duran, round out the captain trio. All three will provide leadership and experience both on and off the field.
Sophomore Miya Grant-Clavijo, who was fifth on the team last year with nine points, will look to build on her freshman campaign which had her featuring for the U20 Canadian National Team this summer. She recently played in the U20 World Cup in Costa Rica.
Nonconference Breakdown
The Bears will play nine nonconference opponents this season, including Power 5 opponent Ohio State (Sept. 8) at home and Oklahoma State (Sept. 18) on the road. Perennial regional powers Central Connecticut State (Sept. 1), Hofstra (Sept. 4), and Northeastern (Sept. 11) are also games of note.
Brown will take on in-state foe Rhode Island on the road (Aug. 28) and will welcome Providence to Stevenson-Pincince Field (Sept. 15).
The season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 26 at Albany.
Ivy League Season
Ivy League play opens on Sept. 24 at Dartmouth with the Bears’ first Ivy home game coming the following week against Columbia on Oct. 1.
The next two games are the most likely to decide whether or not Brown is able to reclaim the Ivy crown. The Bears will play at Princeton on Oct. 8 and at home against Harvard on Oct. 15. The Tigers and Crimson rounded out the top three with Brown in the Ivy Preseason Poll with the Bears taking the top spot. Last season, Brown took down Princeton 3-1 and Harvard 1-0.
Cornell (Oct. 22), Penn (Oct. 30), and Yale (Nov. 5) round out the Ivy schedule. In each of the last two seasons, Brown was able to claim a share of the Ivy Title in the second-to-last week of the regular season against Penn.
