Fresh off back-to-back Sweet 16 runs and a strong 2024 season, the NYU women’s soccer team is charging into 2025 with steady momentum and high expectations.

After falling to Johns Hopkins University in the third round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships, the team is entering this season hungrier than ever, with a third straight tournament appearance in reach – a milestone that would set a program record. 

The Violets are aiming to make the deepest NCAA tournament run in program history, but players and coaches say that is not the primary goal. 

“We are really focused on the process goals such as continuing to work really hard, supporting each other with positive energy and being coachable,” head coach Scott Waddell said. “We want to try and create the best environment so they can produce the best results.” 

Waddell enters his third season at NYU having made a major impact already, guiding the Violets to the NCAA D-III Championships in each of his first two full seasons. Under his leadership, the program has also earned multiple honors from United Soccer Coaches, the University Athletic Association and College Sports Communicators. 

This season, the Violets will have to overcome the potential setback of a newly revamped roster. Following a 12-3-6 season last year, the program graduated 12 players, including seven starters. Among them was Kelli Keady, the program’s all-time leading scorer and 2024 USC Third-Team All American. 

“Last year there was a lot of chemistry on the field and a lot of trust, which was probably one of the biggest benefits,” junior forward Alexa Buxbaum said. “All of us had been playing together for a while.”

Despite the 13 newcomers — eight first-years and five transfers — the Violets have already made an impact in preseason. First-year forward Sydney Freese recorded seven shots, one goal and three assists in the first five games, while graduate students Avril Silva and Julia Lombardo have brought years of experience to the squad. 

Through its first five games, the team holds a 3-1-1 record. The Violets opened the season on Aug. 29 with a dominant 6-0 win over Mount Saint Mary College before falling 2-0 to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the NYU home opener. The team rebounded with a 4-2 win over the The College of New Jersey Lions and closed out the weekend with a scoreless draw against Arcadia University, outshooting the Knights 20-7 — a promising sign of the team’s potential in the progressing season. On Sept. 10, the Violets beat Stevens Institute of Technology 1-0.

Led by senior captains Elizabeth Argeziano, Hunter Hoelscher, Rena Kalargiros and Yukino Wakatsuki, the team aims to build on its early-season results while maintaining the strong team camaraderie from last year. 

“I think on the field, getting to know who you’re playing with is one of the most challenging things,” Kalargrios said. “But we’ve been working on it for a while. That’s kind of what preseason is for … I think, for us, motivation is the biggest part, having that desire to want to win is the biggest thing, and that comes from within us.” 

Waddell and his coaching staff play a key role on the field as the team works towards its goals this season. The Violets take the coaches’ advice to heart by focusing on learning from one another, pushing each other in practice and staying mentally engaged to build long-term success. 

“Our coaches tell us all the time that patience is a virtue and to trust your teammates,” Buxbaum said. “I feel like as we keep employing those standards, we’ll end up connecting with each other a lot more.”

Contact Emily Barbire at [email protected]