NEW LONDON, N.H. - The Colby-Sawyer women's soccer team has released their schedule for the 2025-26 academic year. The Chargers who finished 9-4-8 in 2024, will play a total of twenty games on the 2025 season, marking them as one of ten other teams in the country playing a full twenty game season.

Opening Weekend:

The Chargers have a total of 13 games against Great Northeast Athletic Conference opponents, and 7 out of conference match ups over the course of their season. The season kicks off against a team that head coach Anthony Cosky is looking forward to in Westfield State. According to records, this will be the Owls and Chargers first match up in nearly 30 years, as the last game came back in 1997. The MASCAC runner up Owls, a year ago finished with an 11-5-4 record and will come to New London on August 29th for a 2pm kickoff. The Chargers will follow that game with against a familiar opponent in Husson University. The last time the Eagles and Chargers met was back in 2017. The defending Northeast Athletic Conference (NAC) champions will come to New London for the first time in 8 years. The Chargers have an overall 10-3 record against the Eagles, and looking to win this match up between old foes.

Key Match Ups:

The Vikings of Salem State are another match up to mark on the calendar as the Chargers and Vikings kept each other at 0 in 2024. The Vikings coming off a 4-11-3 record last season, will play host to the Chargers this year on September 11th. The Chargers will be looking to pick up their second win in their last three meetings with the Vikings at 7:00PM in Salem, Mass. 

Two more games that have Cosky excited are at the hands of the Little East Conference (LEC). Their first match up with the LEC will be the Chargers first experience under the new lights at Sally Shaw Veitch Field for Youth Soccer Night and Faculty Appreciation against Keene State on September 16th. Vermont State University Castleton will host the Chargers on September 28th, another team the program has had a long history with. The Chargers picked up a 2-0 win over the Spartans last year, as the two teams have a 12-12-3 record in 27 prior matches. 

Head coach Anthony Cosky says he is really looking forward to the competition within the GNAC this year with Johnson and Wales leaving for the CNE. The conference is wide open, and he believes the match up with Emmanuel on October 25th will hold heavy playoff implications. The Saints are the defending GNAC champions, and finished 18-3-1 behind Junior and Player of the Year Sarah Dullaghan who scored a NCAA record 45 goals last year. With both the Chargers and Saints returning a majority of their rosters, look to gain the advantage in New London after a 3-3 tie in 2024.

The Chargers will host a good home schedule against other GNAC schools in Regis, Norwich, and University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). The Blue Jays come to town on September 20th, as the two teams tied at 0 in 2024, with a 3-3-1 overall record with each other. The Cadets will come to New London next on October 15th after a 3-3 tie in 2024. The Chargers look to win their fourth game against the Cadets in the last 5 years. The Regis Pride will come to town last during homecoming week on October 18th after a 1-1 tie in 2024 against the Chargers. The Chargers will look to continue their dominance against the Pride, having a 21-8-2 record of all time in their match ups. 

Cosky believes that some of the toughest road games this season will come at the hands of fellow GNAC opponents. The Chargers head to Albertus Magnus, Rivier, Lasell, and Saint Joseph's of Maine, a place they haven't won at since 2003. The Chargers will head to Standish, ME on September 13th after the team won at home against the Monks, 2-1 in 2024. The will head to Lasell to end the month of September on the 30th, and looking for revenge as the Lasers eliminated the Chargers from the playoffs in 2024 during a penalty shootout. The Chargers look for their third straight win in as many seasons against Albertus Magnus on October 4th. Finally, after giving Rivier their first loss in 2024, the Chargers will head to Nashua on October 22nd looking for their 9th straight win against the Raiders.

Players to Watch:

Senior Lauren Ardolino (Milford, Conn.) has been a force in the midfield since joining the Chargers while being named captain for the second year in a row. Cosky believes that she will have her best season yet after recording 1,910 for the Chargers in 2024. She scored a goal and recorded an assist last season against Mitchell. 

Senior Lauren Mckee (Littleton, N.H.) is another player to look out for during her first year as captain. Cosky believes she will fill up the stat sheet this year from the midfield, being a dynamic player for the Chargers. She finds her teammates easily, and has the ability to put some goals in as well. She scored a goal against Albertus Magnus and recorded an assist against Simmons University in 2024.

Senior Sophie Nadeau (Hampton, N.H.) has been named the final captain during the 2025 season, while being the anchor for the defensive line. Nadeau played every minute last season, while Cosky believes she will come back even stronger this season. Sophie is consistent leading the defensive line, being able to read the game well while putting the term "defense wins games" to good use.

A new pair of strikers in Sophomores, Maddy Minckler (Claremont, N.H.) and Kate Vasconcelos (Woodsville, N.H.) look to give the Chargers a new identity. They will be a huge presence on the offensive side of the ball for the Chargers in 2025. Senior Gabby Calidonio (Flagler Beach, Fla.) will be the starter in net in 2025, having a 7-4-7 record last year with 74 saves. The Franklin Pierce transfer has been a key for the Chargers since arriving in 2024. 

Other players Cosky believes Charger fans should look out for are Eve Van Wickler (Sturbridge, Mass.), Lena Rodrigues (Belmont, N.H.), Ellie Smith (Plymouth, Mass.), Maddie LaVarnway (Claremont, N.H.), and Brianna Youngman (Bath, N.H.). The Chargers will also add six first years into the mix that look to make an instant impact for the program right out of the gate.

To check out the whole schedule click here.