FLUSHING, N.Y. – The 2023 season officially gets underway Friday (Sept. 1) as Queens College second-year head coach
Thomas Paris and the women's soccer team open their new season in New Hampshire.
The Knights open the season in Rindge, New Hampshire on the campus of Franklin Pierce University on Friday (Sept. 1) and Sunday (Sept. 3).
Paris returns for his second year in charge of the Knights and he will be assisted by returning assistant coach
Lucio Sorto, and new assistants in
Paige Palazzolo and
Johnny Osorio.
In his first year, Queens finished 2-10-3 with an East Coast Conference record of 2-4-2 as they finished in sixth place.
With a full year under his belt, Paris and his coaching staff have reloaded the roster to a total of 26 student-athletes which includes nine returners and 17 newcomers as they look to make improvements from last year.
2023 Roster
Returners
Queens returns six starters from last year which includes three starting defenders in junior
Sarah Anderson(East Setauket, N.Y.) who earned All-ECC Third Team honors in 2022 as she started in all 15 matches totaling 1350 minutes.
Senior
Hayley Matthews (Freeport, N.Y.) who played in 13 games with seven starts and totaled three points with a goal and one assist, and senior
Gabrielle Christian (Forest Hills, N.Y.) who started all 15 matches logging 1336 minutes will see time in the backline.
Senior
Aida Rose Dydasco Pedemonte (South San Francisco, CA), junior
Nicole Martinez (Glendale, N.Y.), and junior
Kristina Gambino (Deer Park, N.Y.) will all look to play key roles in the offense and look to control the midfield with a young squad all hungry and looking to earn playing time.
Junior
Jacklyn Diel (Stony Brook, N.Y.) will look to return to her freshman year form which saw the Stony Brook native earn All-ECC Third Team honors. But last season the midfielder missed three games due to injuries but would still log 853 minutes totaling two goals and one assist.
While junior
Julia Ragone (Centereach, N.Y.) will once again look to lead from the front after she led the Knights with eight points totaling three goals, and two assists in 1,200 minutes as she started all 15 games.
Newcomers
Paris has bolstered the squad with 17 newcomers which includes 14 freshmen and three transfer students.
Along with the returners, Paris and his coaching staff will have an option six new defenders to choose from with
Llucy Lewis (Valley Stream, N.Y.) a graduate of Valley Stream Central High School,
Lucia Piccirillo (Manhasset, N.Y.) a graduate of Herricks of High School,
Evelyn Martinez Phelps, a graduate of Smithtown High School West,
Alyssa Illiano (Valley Stream, N.Y.) a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy,
Ava Angiuli (Wantagh, N.Y.), a graduate of MacArthur High School, and
Cassidy Pong (New Hyde Park, N.Y.), a graduate of Herricks High School will all look to provide solid depth in the back row.
Piccirillo and Phelps earned All-County honors during their high school career.
Pong was named to Newsday's Top 100 Girls Soccer Players in 2022 and earned All-County three times in her high school career, while Angiuli brings in a loaded resume to Flushing having earned All-Conference twice, All-County honors, and was named Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She would help her to win a Conference championship four times while also earning County and Long Island championships.
Junior transfer
Brianna Obregon (Deer Park, N.Y.), a transfer from Division I St. Francis College – Brooklyn will not only add depth but also provide experience in the midfielder which will be put together with six untested freshmen.
Newcomers looking to learn a starting spot will be
Anna Tavantzis (Holbrook, N.Y.), a graduate of Sachem High School East,
Hallie Bray (Wantagh, N.Y.), a graduate of MacArthur High School,
Grace Bekios (Douglaston, N.Y.), a graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School,
Laila Morales (Long Island City, N.Y.), a graduate of Christ The King High School, and
Solana Hernandez (Homewood, IL), a graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Hernandez comes to Flushing from Illinois having earned MVP and All-Conference honors. Bray from MacArthur High School brings All-Conference honors along with a County and Long Island Champion under her resume.
Morales, named captain during her senior year of high school, earned All-League honors throughout her playing career.
While in the front, Diel and Ragone will look to mentor and excel with the new forward trio of
Jenna Rosenberger (Smithtown, N.Y.), a graduate of Smithtown High School West,
Stephanie Ramirez Vivar (Brooklyn, N.Y.), a graduate of Saint John's Preparatory School and
Mika Ishii (Astoria, N.Y.), a graduate of Academy of American Studies.
Rosenberger who was named to Newsday's Top 100 Girls Soccer Players also earned All-League honors during her time at Smithtown High School West while Vivar helped Saint John's earn a CHSAA Tier 2 Championship and earned All-League honors.
Goalkeepers
In goal, sophomore
Katelyn Villacres (Bayside, N.Y.) returns for her sophomore year and will be looking for playing time with two transfers in rotation.
Sophomore
Jessica Daymond (Rockaway, N.Y.) comes to Flushing from SUNY Cortland, while graduate student
Erin Kelly (Massapequa, N.Y.) arrives as a Division I transfer from Wagner College.
Kelly a graduate transfer adds length and experience between the pipes having played a total of 31 games, logging 2718:28 minutes with 166 career saves at Wagner.
East Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Poll 2023
Paris and the Knights have been slated to finish fifth in the ECC Preseason Poll while defending Champions Mercy University has been slated to reclaim the crown for the second consecutive year.
With the new ECC Soccer Postseason format slated to begin this year, the Knights are projected to be one of six teams to make the ECC playoffs. The ECC Women's Soccer Postseason play begins with the First Round on Thursday, Nov. 2 at the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. Semifinal play will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5 at the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, with the title game set for Sunday, Nov. 12 at the highest remaining seed.
Game day Preview
Paris and the Knights open the season in Rindge, NH on neutral grounds as they match up against Southern Connecticut State University Owls on Friday (Sept. 1) with a 6 p.m. kick-off.
It will be the eighth matchup against the Owls with the Knights still in search of their first win against the regional foe. Queens are matching up for the first time against the Owls since the 2019 season when they travel to New Haven as they fell 2-0 to the host.
The trip will conclude against host Franklin Pierce University Ravens on Sunday (Sept. 3) afternoon at 3 p.m.
Queens will be matching up against the Ravens for the first time since the 2012 season and hold a 0-2-1 record against them. In their last match against the host, the Knights earned a double overtime scoreless draw in Flushing.
Follow the Knights
All home games will be live streamed on the
ECC Sports Network and fans can follow along on
live stats as well.
Home Opener
Paris and the Knights will host their first home of the year on Wednesday, Sept. 6 as Thomas Jefferson University comes to town.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Instagram (qcknightsny), women's soccer (qcwsoccer)
