Abel Austin

Women's Soccer Ready For NCAA Tournament Tilt Against Johns Hopkins

By Mike Hogan, Athletics Communications Coordinator

11/13/2025 5:00:00 PM

Setting The Scene

One team has been to the NCAA Division III Tournament 23 times. The other will be making its first-ever appearance.

But what makes any NCAA Tournament so special is that anything can happen, most certainly upsets, and the St. John Fisher women’s soccer team will be looking to pull one off this weekend.

The Cardinals face host Johns Hopkins, one of the Division III women’s soccer powers, at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Homewood Field.

NCAA Tournament appearances have become routine for the Blue Jays, who’ve reached the dance 20 years in a row and have advanced past the opening weekend 13 times in their last 22 appearances in it. They won the national championship just three years ago.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have been chasing this since beginning play in the 1980s. They won their first Empire 8 Conference championship to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament this past Saturday with an overtime victory over SUNY Brockport.

St. John Fisher (13-4-2 overall, 9-1-1 Empire 8 reg. season)

Head Coach: Molly Romano (7th season at St. John Fisher)

Romano's Career Record: 59-33-20

Statistical Leaders: Goals (Emily Woolingham, 11), Assists (Maddie Wania, 8), Points (Woolingham, 29), Saves (Avery Byrnes, 30), Solo Shutouts (Brynes and Isabella Ayers, 5)

Conference Titles: 1

All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1st

National Titles: –

Johns Hopkins (15-4-1, 8-2 Centennial Conference reg. season)

Head Coach: Dan Weiler (5th season at JHU, 23rd overall)

Weiler's Career Record: 345-92-46 overall (88-12-10 at JHU)

Statistical Leaders: Goals (Carolyn Johnson, 10), Assists (Maria Romo-Nichols, 10), Points (Johnson and Romo-Nichols, 22), Saves (Ella Kruntchev, 24), Shutouts (Kruntchev, 7)

Conference Titles: 18 (4 in a row)

All-Time NCAA Tournament Appearances: 23 (20 in a row)

National Titles: 1 (2022)

Watch Live (Click Here)

Johns Hopkins Tournament Page (Click Here)

NCAA Tournament Central

How They Got Here

St. John Fisher: The Cardinals had the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament after finishing the regular season 10-4-2 overall and 9-1-1 in league play.

In the E8 quarterfinals on Nov. 1, senior defender Abby Fagnani scored her first collegiate goal in the 67th minute on an assist from senior forward Madelyn Wania to lift the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over No. 7-seeded Houghton.

The Cardinals blanked No. 3-seeded Nazareth 2-0 in the Empire 8 semifinals last Wednesday behind goals from Wania and sophomore forward Emily Woolingham. Fisher snapped a four-game E8 tournament losing streak against Nazareth with the victory. The Golden Flyers downed the Cardinals in the conference title game in 2021 and 2023 and in the semifinals in 2005 and 2009.

Fisher won the Empire 8 championship and punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history with a 1-0 road victory over top-seeded Brockport last Saturday. Junior midfielder Francesca Logrippo scored the golden goal in overtime on an assist from senior defender Ryann Dauksza.

The Cardinals (13-4-2) enter the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game winning streak, the longest in program history since at least 2000.

Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins (15-4-1), which has made the NCAA Tournament 20 seasons in a row, topped Swarthmore in the Centennial Conference Championship game to earn an automatic bid to the tournament. Maria Romo-Nichols scored the game-winner in the 88th minute to lift the Blue Jays to the 2-1 victory.

With A Win…

St. John Fisher would… record its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory… reach 14 wins for just the fourth time in program history and the first time since winning a program-record 15 games in 1982.

About St. John Fisher Head Coach Molly Romano

The St. John Fisher women’s soccer team continues to rise under Molly Romano, who has led one of the most consistent programs in the region since becoming the Cardinals’ head coach in August 2019.

Romano and her coaching staff have guided the Cardinals to 10 or more wins three times in seven seasons. The Cardinals’ 13 wins so far this season are tied for the third most in program history, and their 11 wins last season matched the fourth-best single-season win total in Fisher history. Romano’s 2021 team posted a 10-6-1 record.

The Cardinals own a 59-33-20 overall mark, including 38-7-14 in Empire 8 Conference regular-season contests, with Romano at the helm. They have reached the conference championship game three times, capturing the first title in program history this season.

Before becoming Fisher’s head coach, Romano spent two seasons (2017-18) as an assistant across town at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The Tigers went 23-10-7, made back-to-back appearances in the Liberty League title game and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history during Romano’s time on staff.

Romano also made stops as an assistant coach at Lasell College (2008) and Bentley University (2009).

In addition to her experience at the collegiate level, Romano served as the head coach of the Pittsford Mustangs Girls Under-17/18 team and the U14 Empire United team. She was an assistant coach for the Pittsford Sutherland Girls’ Soccer Team from 2013-16 and the head coach at Beaver Country Day School from 2010-13.

Romano was an offensive threat during her playing career at John Carroll University. She earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference, All-Academic honors and secured the team’s offensive MVP in 2003 and 2004. Romano graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Childhood Education from John Carroll in 2005.

By The Numbers

Total Empire 8 Selections: 50 (15 first team)

Total USC All-Region Honorees: 6

Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year Winners: 2... Carli Kovarik (2021) and Emily Woolingham (2025)

Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Winners: 1... Bella Guarracino (2022)

Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Winners: 1... Emma Spelman (2021)

College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honorees: 11

15 Things About Fisher

1 - Sophomore forward Emily Woolingham joined Carli Kovarik (2021) as the second player in program history to be named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year when the league announced its awards and All-Conference teams on Tuesday. Woolingham leads the conference with 29 points on 11 goals (tied for the most in the E8) and seven assists (second most in the E8). She currently stands fifth on Fisher's single-season points list.

2 - Woolingham is the first Fisher player to have double-digit goals in a season since Kovarik found the back of the net 15 times in 2021. She needs just one more goal to hold fourth on the Cardinals' single-season goals list.

3 - The Cardinals had eight total All-Empire 8 selections, tied with SUNY Brockport for the most in the conference. Woolingham, senior forward Madelyn Wania, junior midfielder Francesca Logrippo and senior defender Ryann Dauksza garnered first-team honors. Junior midfielder Carli Maltbie and senior goalkeeper Avery Byrnes landed second-team spots, and senior defenders Abby Fagnani and Maddy Jackson were named to the third team.

4 - The Cardinals enter the NCAA Tournament riding a seven-game winning streak, the longest in program history since at least 2000.

5 - The Cardinals have allowed just eight goals all season, tied for the sixth-fewest in NCAA Division III. They rank 20th in the country in goals against average (.448).

6 - Fisher has never finished a season with fewer than 15 goals allowed.

7 - The Cardinals have allowed just one goal during their seven-game winning streak – in a 2-1 victory over Nazareth to close the regular season on Oct. 29.

8 - The Cardinals enter the postseason with a program-record 13 shutouts. Byrnes and freshman goalkeeper Isabella Ayers each have five solo clean sheets.

9 - The Cardinals own a 6-0 record in games started by Ayers, who became their starting goalkeeper on Oct. 15 against Houghton. Ayers has made 23 saves and allowed just one goal for a 95.8% save percentage over eight games played.

10 - The Cardinals have outscored their opponents by 39, 47-8, this season. Their 47 goals mark the most in program history since at least 2000.

11 - The Cardinals reached 13 victories for the first time since 1983 with their E8 title-game win over Brockport

12 - Wania, a first-team All-E8 pick two years in a row, is tied for second in the conference with 24 points. She has eight goals and eight assists entering the NCAA Tournament.

13 - Wania, a transfer from the College of St. Rose last year, has had more than 20 points in each of her two seasons as a Cardinal.

14 - Wania and Woolingham are the first pair of Fisher players to score eight or more goals in the same season since Dani Davis (9) and Jen Springett (8) did so in 2005.

15 - The Cardinals' nine regular-season Empire 8 victories this year marked their most ever as a member of the conference.