Women's Soccer | 11/10/2026 10:00:00 AM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher women's soccer team claimed three major Empire 8 Conference awards and had seven players garner All-Conference honors for the 2026 season, the Empire 8 office announced on Tuesday morning.
Junior forward Emily Woolingham headlined St. John Fisher's haul, becoming the first two-time Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year in program history. Junior defender Abby Dorunda garnered E8 Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, while head coach Molly Romano and her staff won E8 Coaching Staff of the Year for the second time in the last five seasons.
The Cardinals had three first-team All-Empire 8 selections in Woolingham, Dorunda and senior midfielder Francesca Logrippo. Junior forward Olivia Kalil, senior midfielder Carli Maltbie and sophomore goalkeeper Isabella Ayers claimed second-team accolades; sophomore defender Morgan Tara received third-team recognition.
Maltbie was selected as St. John Fisher's representative on the Empire 8 Tomorrow's Leader Team. The Tomorrow's Leaders Team recognizes one student-athlete from each Empire 8 institution who has demonstrated leadership in competition, in the classroom, and in the community.
One of the top offensive players in NCAA Division III, Woolingham had a historic season in which she tallied 40 total points (most in the E8, 14th nationally) on 17 goals (most in the E8, 9th nationally) and six assists. The two-time All-Empire 8 first-team honoree netted the third-most goals by a Cardinal in a season and became the first Fisher player since Marianne Laurine in 1981 to reach 40 points in a season. Woolingham, who delivered four multi-goal performances, tallied at least a point in all but three of the Cardinals' 18 games.
Dorunda, who joins Bella Guarracino (2022) as Fisher's second Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year honoree, played and started in all 18 games and helped lead a defense that allowed a conference-low 13 goals during the regular season. She also tallied a career-high three assists on the offensive end.
Now a two-time All-E8 first team honoree, Logrippo set career highs with 10 total points and a team-best eight assists. She tallied multiple helpers in two games and had three total points with a goal and an assist against Neumann on Sept. 5.
Kalil set career highs across the board with 20 total points on eight goals and four assists en route to her first career All-E8 honor. In September, she scored three times against SUNY Poly and twice against Hartwick to become the first Fisher player since at least 2000 to score five goals over a two-game span. Her performance against Hartwick made her the 11th Cardinal since 2000 to record a three-goal game.
Maltbie, another key part of the Cardinals' defense, played and started in all 18 games on her way to a third straight All-Empire 8 selection. Her three assists this season marked a career best.
Ayers played in all 18 games and never came off the field, making 59 saves and allowing just 16 goals for a 0.89 goals-against average. She finished tied atop the conference in shutouts (8) with Houghton's Olivia Short, the Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year. Her eight shutouts also marked the second most by a Cardinal goalkeeper in a season.
Tara, who played in all 18 games and made 15 starts, set career highs in points (10), goals (4) and assists (2). She had a season-high three points with a goal and an assist in a September victory over Alfred.
Romano and her staff guided the Cardinals to a banner season, as they matched the 1982 team's program record for wins (15) and claimed the Empire 8 regular-season title. This season marked Fisher's third in a row with double-digit wins and the fourth such campaign overall under Romano, who owns a 74-37-20 career record over eight seasons leading the Cardinals. Fisher's 10 Empire 8 regular-season wins marked a program record.
