PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- After manufacturing their first double-digit win season with Head Coach Sarah Tompkins at the helm and first since the 2018 season, Eastern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer will look to build off of their momentum from last fall, reflected by their positioning in the Little East Conference Women's Soccer Preseason Poll released on Monday afternoon by the league office. The Warriors were picked to finish first in the conference with 61 points and six of the nine first-place votes, as Southern Maine came in behind with 52 points and a first-place vote, along with WestConn in third with 51 points and a five-place vote. The lone other first-place vote went to Rhode Island College, picked to finish fifth with 36 points.

It was by all accounts a dominant season for the Warriors last fall, who finished 10-5-3 overall and 5-1-2 in conference play to finish atop the conference standings for the first time since 2018, and capture their first outright regular-season crown since 2016 when they went 13-4-1 overall. Even more impressive was their home record, finishing the regular season with a 5-0-2 record at Rick McCarthy Field, outscoring opponents 13-2 with five clean sheets. As the top seed in the LEC Tournament, the Warriors fell to WestConn, 2-0, at home in the semifinals, while Southern Maine ended up winning their fourth consecutive LEC Championship, 3-0, over the Wolves. 

But a fully loaded squad in year five for Coach Tompkins will look to dethrone the Huskies, as three-time LEC Rookie of the Week, one-time LEC Offensive Player of the Week, and LEC First Team All-Conference returner Michaela Gasparri, the team's leading scorer a year ago, is back for her sophomore season. In her first year, Gasparri tallied 10 goals and five assists for a team-leading 25 points, placing her fifth in the LEC for goals scored, eighth in assists, and fourth in points. The Warriors' second-leading scorer is Katelyn Herbert, who had seven goals and two assists for 16 points across 18 games and is not returning as she graduated in the spring; junior midfielder Glenda Zhiminaicela, who had two goals and three assists for seven points, finishing tied for third in goals scored and assists on the team, is back. 

In all, last year, seven Eastern players earned All-Conference recognition, while Tompkins' coaching staff was named LEC Coaching Staff of the Year. Of those seven award winners, six of them are back with the team for the 2026 season, with Herbert (Third Team) being the only loss due to graduation. Among those returners was fellow First Team recipient in first-year defender Jordan Fabry, who played in all 18 games, becoming the only Eastern first-year player to do so in 2025, playing a team-high 1,509 minutes and earning four LEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Zhiminaicela also earned All-Conference honors, making the second Team with her offensive performance after finishing on the Third Team during her first year.

The defensive side of the ball continued to represent for the Warriors on the Third Team as well with senior defender Kylie Gentile, who is back for her graduate season, helping Eastern record eight total clean sheets last year with her 17 starts that came out to 1,100 minutes. Finally, most importantly, in the net for the Warriors will be the now two-time LEC Goalkeeper of the Year in Alex Ignatowicz, who was a First Team selection in back-to-back seasons as well, to also go along with three total LEC Goalkeeper of the Week honors. Ignatowicz, who is only a junior, has played in 30 career games for Eastern, totaling over 2,000 minutes played in which she has allowed just 23 goals for a 0.98 goals-against average, while tallying 128 saves for a .848 save percentage and an 11-7-5 record overall with four shutouts. 

Among the newcomers this year, Tompkins' team brings in seven first-year players and a pair of transfers, making a total of nine new players, after losing just three seniors and graduates last year, along with a few transfers. These newcomers include two forwards, three midfielders, and four defenders. 

With a total of 16 games, the Warriors will split eight at home and away from Rick McCarthy Field, getting underway on September 1st at 1:00 PM on the road against St. Joseph's University, before their home opener on September 4th against Mount Holyoke College at 4:00 PM. The rest of the non-conference schedule for Eastern will include meetings against Mitchell College, Westfield State University, Union College, SUNY Oneonta, University of Hartford, and Worcester State University.