Women's Soccer | 8/27/2026 12:00:00 PM

Following a 2025 campaign where they put up a 5-4-3 record and fell in the first round of the OUA playoffs, York University Lions women's soccer head coach Carmine Isacco sat down to reflect on the past season, as well as lay out the standards and expectations for the team heading into 2026.

"Last year, it was good to see the group come together under difficult circumstances, but it's never enough just to make the playoffs with our group," he said, reiterating the standard that makes York one of the most consistent programs in the country.

Issaco also highlighted the importance of two key returners for 2026 that were absent in last year's lineup, namely 2024 OUA West MVP Nia Fleming-Thompson, who he applauds as "probably the best player in the OUA," and veteran goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips.

"Adding their leadership, their impact, is going to be very important," he said especially when pairing them with additional returners Sabrina Fabiano and Erica Di Metteo. With such a large group of incoming first year players in 2026, Isacco hopes that the veterans can make a big impact on "not only the now, but the future."

"We're pleasantly surprised by some of our incoming first years playing at the back, and we'll also be expecting the returning Amelia Joseph to also come in and be a leader back there, but there's a lot of work we need to put in to get it right," said Isacco, who enters his 16th season at the helm of York's women's program in 2026.

Additionally, there are returners up front expected to take on a bigger role this season, including Olivia Zeitler and Sienna Caesar.

"They did an honourable job last year," Isacco said of the two forwards, while also pointing out midfielders Samantha Banfield and Mia Aguiar.

"They will also be called upon to be at their best, and make the players around them better," he said of his veterans in the middle.

 Isacco has high praise for this year's crop of rookies after a busy recruiting process. Some highlights include forward Leanna Massi and BC Premier League recruit Olivia Tang, who are expected to make a "major impact." Meanwhile, on the back line, Arianna Piacente and Bianca Servidone will likely earn significant playing minutes.

He also noted a "major surprise" in first-year defender Sienna Fox-Curry, who had a "fantastic, lights out training camp," and fellow rookie on the backline Sofia Locker, who the longtime Lions bench boss described as a, "strong and physically imposing player.

Following the Lions' longstanding trend of young players making an immediate impact, Isacco believes that having the confidence needed to excel at the U SPORTS level as a rookie is paramount to a young player's development.

"Number one is (the rookies) believing in themselves, understanding that they need to be ready right from the get-go, and that they're good players and not just rookies," said Isacco heading into a fresh campaign. "We want to keep being prepared for every mistake, working on the present, working on the now, (and) using experience to better the future."

Adaptation to student-athlete balance on campus is incredibly important to the organization, and Isacco believes that a successful transition for the rookies is not possible without the leadership of the team's veterans.

"We have great leaders, and they epitomize the love they have for York athletics and York soccer, and we want newcomers to love their experience as well," he said. "We want student athletes to be comfortable in every part of the process, and making sure they want to be here. That's important to us."

The team is putting an emphasis on being a cohesive unit in all aspects of the game.

 "That will be the process we need to go through from a leadership perspective," Isacco made clear. "They're going to have to not only be great on the field, they're going to have to be great off the field as mentors."

The Lions will get their first opportunity to showcase their 2026 rendition in their season opener against the Windsor Lancers on Friday, August 28th at 6:00 pm, before hosting the Western Mustangs in their home opener on Sunday at 1:00 pm. You can get your tickets to Sunday's match at yorkulions.ca/tickets, or watch both games for free on OUA TV.