BOSTON – A pair of teams stayed unbeaten in America East women’s soccer play as both Binghamton and Maine earned results. The two teams sit atop the league standings with four points through two games. Binghamton, UAlbany and UMBC earned victories while Maine and UMass Lowell played to a 1-1 draw.
Every game matters with three points being awarded to the winning team, one point to each team in the event of a tie and zero points to the losing team. The top six teams in the standings at the end of the season will qualify for the 2026 America East Women’s Soccer Championship, set to take place Nov. 5-15.
Need to Know
- UMBC got second-half goals from Brooke Clagett and Delainey Proctor to post a 2-1 comeback win over UNH on Sunday.
- Maine and UMass Lowell played to a 1-1 tie. The Black Bears are unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-3) while the River Hawks’ unbeaten streak is now four games (2-0-2).
- Vermont tied UConn 0-0 on Friday behind a shutout performance from sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Kling, who made six saves, and earned America East Goalkeeper of the Week honors for her efforts.
- Alyssa Reiter tallied a goal and an assist to lead NJIT to a 3-2 win over UNH. The win was first in a league opener for the Highlanders since they joined the America East in 2020.
- Binghamton beat Bryant, 3-0, on Sunday and recorded its seventh shutout in 10 games this season.
- UAlbany earned its first league win of 2026, a 2-0 victory over NJIT on Sunday.
- Eight conference games take place this week with four Thursday and four more Sunday.
- On Thursday, UAlbany hosts Binghamton, Bryant welcomes UNH, UMass Lowell visits Vermont and NJIT heads to UMBC.
- On Sunday, Binghamton brings in UNH, UMBC heads to UAlbany, NJIT visits Bryant and Vermont welcomes Maine in a rematch of last year’s America East championship game.
- The #AEWSOC preseason poll and All-Conference teams were announced on July 30. Three-time defending league champion Maine was chosen the 2026 favorite while last year’s regular-season champion Binghamton was second - link.
Weekly Award Winners – Sept. 28
Offensive Player of the Week
Paige Luke, Binghamton – Sr., Forward, Ilion, N.Y.
- Had a four-point game in Binghamton’s 3-0 victory over Bryant on Sunday.
- Scored a goal and had two assists, all in the second half, vs. in the win over the Bulldogs.
- This is Luke’s second #AEWSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the season (8/24).
Defensive Player of the Week
Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton – Sr. Defender, Aberdeen, N.J.
- Led a stellar defensive effort in Binghamton’s 3-0 win over Bryant on Sunday.
- The Bearcats held the Bulldogs to just one shot including none on net.
- This is Garofalo third #AEWSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season (8/17, 8/31).
Goalkeeper of the Week
Sophia Kling, Vermont – So., Goalkeeper, Grafton, Mass.
- Stopped all six shots she faced to record a shutout in her lone appearance of the week, a scoreless tie vs. Big East foe UConn on Friday.
- Made two highlight-reel saves late in the second half to preserve the result.
- This is Kling’s first career #AEWSOC Goalkeeper of the Week honor.
Co-Rookie of the Week
Brooke Clagett, UMBC – Fr., Forward, Frederick, Md.
- Scored her fifth goal of the season in UMBC’s 2-1 comeback win over UNH on Sunday.
- Found the back of the net nine minutes into the second half to even the game at 1-1.
- This is Clagett’s second #AEWSOC Rookie of the Week honor of the season (8/17).
Co-Rookie of the Week
Chelsea Donaldson, Binghamton – Fr., Midfielder, Camilus, N.Y.
- Scored her third goal of the year to contribute to Binghamton’s 3-0 win over Bryant on Sunday.
- Scored in the 64th minute to increase the Bearcats’ lead to 2-0.
- This is Donaldson’s first career #AEWSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
2026 #AEWSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 17 - Offensive Player & Rookie of the Week: Brooke Clagett, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Amara Codd, UMBC
Aug. 24 - Offensive Player: Paige Luke, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Ale Victoriano, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Sonja Zeepvat, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Taylor Stuart, NJIT
Aug. 31 - Offensive Player: Samantha Zaslaw, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Rebecca Kessler, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Oluchi Njoku, UAlbany
Sep. 8 - Offensive Player: Aja Turner, Maine; Defensive Player of the Week: Olivia Nardone, UMBC; Goalkeeper of the Week: Amara Codd, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Eleni Stowell, Vermont
Sep. 14 - Offensive Player: Isabella Meadows, Maine; Defensive Player of the Week: Meghan Bernetti, Maine; Goalkeeper of the Week: Rachel Welch, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Paige Eckert, NJIT
Sep. 21 - Offensive Player: Aubrey Bough, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Olivia Grisdale, Maine; Goalkeeper of the Week: Elena Barenberg, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Alyssa Reiter, NJIT
Sep. 28 - Offensive Player: Paige Luke, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Sophia Garofalo, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Sophia Kling, Vermont; Co-Rookies of the Week: Brooke Clagett, UMBC & Chelsea Donaldson, Binghamton
Links
Info
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEWSOC contest this season with the majority of games airing on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AmericaEast channels on Instagram and X to stay up-to-date on America East women’s soccer news all season long and use #AEWSOC to join the conversation.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -