Sparkill, N.Y. - After failing to qualify for postseason play in 2023, the St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Field Hockey team returns to the pitch, with a passion and desire to be one of the eight Northeast-10 Conference schools to punch its ticket to the playoffs in 2024. The Spartans are out to prove the naysayers wrong, as they were selected to finish tenth in the annual NE10 preseason coaches poll released in late August.

An off-season of roster retooling by Head Coach Genesis Pacheco brings five new faces to the Spartans for the 2024 season, including; Phileine Langeveld (Midfield/Naarden, Netherlands), Morgan VanDover (Forward/Mannington, N.J.), Madelief Heijmans (Forward/Oisterwijk, Netherlands), Lily Schommer (Midfield & Forward/Chula Vista, Calif.) and Ailsa Ogilvie (Goalkeeper/Kelso, Scotland).

14 members of last season's squad return to Sparkill for the new season, as Hailey Galison (19 GP 3G, 3 DS - Adelphi 2023), Katelyn Cerrato (18 GP, 1G, 4A), Aaliyah James (17 GP, 1 G), Kendra Evans (3 GP), Meghan Tarantino (1 GP), Kayla Martini (15 GP), Nicola Van Vuuren (18 GP, 11G, 6A, 2 DS), Jessica Corrente (DNP-2023), Brianna Cote (16 GP), Olivia Calcaterra (10 GP), Gianna Sacco (DNP-2023), Madelyn Verstraten (18 GP, 4G, 1A), Lilah Magenheimer (2 GP, 11.70 GAA, .000 SV%) and Madeline Schaefer (7 GP, 1-4, 2.88 GAA, .679 SV%) comprise the veteran core of players that will mentor the incoming talent and look to make the push to the playoffs. 

Head Coach Genesis Pacheco returns to the sideline for her seventh season leading STAC, with Assistant Coach Brianna Jones also returning. Pacheco also welcomes Corinne McConville to the staff, as an assistant coach.

McConville was a member of the undefeated 2009 state championship team at Lehighton Area High School (Pa.) and went on to play four years at Division I Albany. She was a two-time All-American at Albany, a four-time all-region and three-time all-conference player. A defender, McConville was one of Albany's top offensive options from 2010-13. She graduated as the program's leader in penalty strokes made and attempted (16-17), minutes played (5,816) and games played (84). She started 84 consecutive games in her career, the most of any player all-time, and ranks second in Division I program history and tied for third in career points with 101.

The Spartans will get their new season underway at Spartan Field on Saturday, September 7, when the STAC hosts Bloomsburg University in an 11:00 a.m. non-conference tilt.

2024 NE10 Women's Field Hockey Preseason Poll