UPEI Women’s Soccer Panthers optimistic for new season with new faces and raised standards

With a combination of a strong core of veteran players and a promising rookie class, the UPEI Women’s Soccer Panthers are eager to take to the field for the new season. 

Eleven freshmen have joined the Panthers for the 2026 season, bringing more than just depth to a team eager to climb the AUS standings. Several are already competing for significant roles, raising the intensity in training camp and, with it, expectations for what this group can accomplish.

For head coach Janos Barna, however, the growing optimism around the program didn’t just begin with the arrival of the rookies.

“I don’t think of it as a fresh start,” Barna said. “I feel last year things started to change. Players were taking accountability and raising the standards.”

Barna said the Panthers took meaningful steps forward last year. This fall has been about carrying that progress into another season with a renewed sense of belief. The difference has been noticeable since the start of training camp.

UPEI scored in and won each of its three preseason matches, an encouraging development for the team. More importantly, Barna has seen the identity of this year’s group begin to take shape.

“We want to be difficult to play against,” Barna said. “That means playing with energy, competing at a high level, and staying organized. We need to be equally comfortable with and without the ball, with a team-first mentality.”

The Panthers have experience throughout the lineup, beginning with fifth-year goalkeeper Claudia Mazzei who is joined by Sam Garvey and rookie Quinn Gavin.

Olivia James and Emma Parker provide experience at centre-back, where newcomer Chloe Sargent has quickly joined the conversation. Out wide, Lilly MacVicar and Kailyn Gallant are joined by rookie Grace Galloway, whose speed and soccer intelligence have impressed throughout camp.

The influx of young talent is perhaps most noticeable through the middle. Fifth-year captain Lydia Hamill and sophomore Sophie Gallant now have additional support from creative midfielders Katie McDonald and Kylie Williamson, while versatile rookie Ava Connors has given Barna another option throughout the pitch.

Up front, newcomer Liv Dowding—former Nova Scotia U17 AAA scoring champion—has already found the scoresheet during preseason and adds another attacking threat alongside veterans Juliette Bader, Emma-Grace Carrier, Abby Locke, Bella Vos, and Alice Dorsey.

For Hamill, the added competition has brought a greater sense of urgency as she looks to lead the Panthers back to the post season in her final season.

“We have a lot of talent on this roster, but I think what will separate us from the rest is our consistency, work ethic, and how we respond when things don’t go our way,” Hamill said. “Knowing that this is my last year with the program makes this season especially meaningful to me, and I intend to make the most of it.”

With their eye on the playoffs, the Panthers understand nothing will be handed to them. 

But with the combination of an established core and strong newcomers, the standard has changed.

Now, UPEI expects the results to follow.

This Friday, September 4 at 5:00 pm, the UPEI Women’s Soccer Panthers host the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleues for their season home opener on the UPEI Artificial Turf Field.

*Purchase your SOCCER SEASON PASS here!