Women’s Soccer Season Preview
8/22/2024
The Brown women’s soccer team has its sights set on a fifth straight and 17th overall Ivy League Title this season.
The Bears, who own the most league titles in Ivy League women’s soccer history, have claimed four trophies in a row dating back to 2019. The Bears have the opportunity to become the first-ever Ivy League program to win five consecutive titles. No other Ivy League program has ever won more than three titles in a row, Brown has won four titles in a row on two separate occasions.
Brown was named the No. 38 women’s soccer program in the nation over the last five years by SoccerWire; the Bears were also named the top-ranked Ivy League program.
Brown opens its season on Friday, Aug 23 at 7:00 p.m. on the road against Rhode Island.
Ivy League Tournament
For the second consecutive season the Ivy League will have a women’s soccer postseason tournament. The four-team affair will be made up of the top four teams in the regular season standings.
Hosted by the top seed, the single-elimination tournament will feature two semifinal games and a final.
The regular season champion will earn the Ivy League Title, but the tournament champion will be granted the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Unprecedented Success
Over the past four seasons, the Bears have enjoyed unprecedented success as a program. Their 25-0-2 Ivy League regular season record in that span is the most dominant stretch since any Ivy League team in the last 34 years. Brown’s 51 victories since 2019 are the most in any four-year stretch in program history.
The Bears haven’t suffered a defeat in regular season Ivy League play since the 2018 season.
On the national stage, Brown has earned at least one NCAA Tournament victory in three out of the last four seasons.
Key Returners
Joy Okonye, Kira Maguire, and Layla Shell return as All-Ivy League Honorable Mention Team members in 2023.
Okonye was named No. 87 in the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top-100 List after being named to the Freshman Team prior to the 2023 season. The sophomore led the Ivy League and Brown with eight assists and 0.47 assists per game during the 2023 season. Okonye also had two assists in three separate matches as a freshman, including two in her Brown debut.
Kira Maguire returns after seeing action in all 17 games last season, the senior found the back of the net three times in 2023 while netting the game-winning tally in a comeback against Central Connecticut State. Maguire finished third on the team in shots and shots on goal during the 2023 season.
Layla Shell and Naya Cardoza helped patrol a Bears backline that allowed 0.76 goals against in 2023, Brown’s backline also accumulated eight shutouts and 13 goals against. Brown’s shutout and goals against total both rank sixth-best in program history.
Along with stout defensive play, Cardoza and Shell also found the back of the net on numerous occasions in 2023. Cardoza scored Brown’s lone tally in the NCAA Tournament Second Round contest against Mississippi State. Cardoza went on to have three goals in 2023 along with a career-high four points in the 2023 season opener win over UAlbany.
Shell also scored three times in 2023, including a two-goal effort against UAlbany and a goal in the NCAA Tournament Opening Round win over Quinnipiac.
Other notable returners include Miya Grant-Clavijo, who scored three goals in 15 appearances last season. Along with Grant-Clavijo, Gianna De Priest, Lexi Quinn, and Bella Schopp, Karlie Schlosser.
De Priest saw action in 13 games, while Quinn earned five starts, including a start in all three postseason games.
Bella Schopp returns to the Bears after earning two wins in as many starts in goal for the Bears last season, Schopp recorded a shutout in the 2023 opener against UAlbany. Karlie Schlosser saw action in six games for the Bears in 2023 and recorded one assist.
Newcomers
Head coach Kia McNiell and the Bears welcomed 10 newcomers to the Brown women’s soccer program for the 2024 season. The class of 2028 includes Brook Birtwistle, Isabelle Chukwu, Olivia Hall, Nadja Meite, Chesney Robinson, Ayla Sahin, Maddie Templeton, Kyra Treanor, Ella Weil and Aleysia Welch.
