Leah Bermudez
Tom Silknitter

Women's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Women's Soccer Team Finishes Fifth in Final United Soccer Coaches Top 25

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's soccer team enjoyed a memorable season in 2023 and it has been capped by the final United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25. After entering the postseason unranked the Golden Knights finished the season ranked fifth in the final United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25.

National champion Point Loma (17-3-1) is the top team in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Washburn (21-4-1) was second with Florida Tech (17-3-3) third. Adelphi (15-4-5) finished just ahead of Gannon in fourth place. The fifth-place finish is the highest ever for the Golden Knights.

Long-time head coach Colin Petersen guided a young Gannon squad to a 17-5-3 finish, the second-highest win total in school history. Along the way the former Gannon men's soccer standout collected his 200th career win.

Gannon reached the PSAC Championship game for the second straight year thanks to wins over Slippery Rock (4-2) and PSAC East top seed Kutztown (2-0). The Golden Knights would drop a 2-1 decision to West Chester in the title game, but three weeks later would gain their revenge.

The Golden Knights were selected for the NCAA Atlantic Regional for the third straight year as the number four seed. Their playoff journey began with another revenge game. After losing twice to Mercyhurst in the regular season the Golden Knights handed their crosstown rivals, the fifth seed, a 1-0 defeat as Maddy Endler (Salem, Ore./West Salem) scored her first career goal in the 76th minute.

Next up was a match with No. 1 seed and unbeaten Charleston (WV). The Golden Knights handed the Golden Eagles their first loss of the season by a 3-1 margin. The win once again avenged a prior loss after Charleston had defeated Gannon 4-1 in the second game of the season. Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) accounted for two goals.

That left the Golden Knights staring at yet another rematch, this time at No. 3 seed West Chester in the Sweet 16. Both teams scored a second-half goal then battled through two overtime periods without a score. The match would be decided on penalty kicks. Gannon prevailed 5-4 on PKs when Angela Vandamia blasted the deciding shot into the right corner of the net.

The Golden Knights moved on to the Elite Eight as the Atlantic Regional champion to face East Region champion Adelphi. The Panthers would finally bring Gannon's Cinderella run to an end in heatbreaking fashion, scoring the winning goal in the 86th minute in a 1-0 match.
 
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Players Mentioned

Maddy Endler

#38 Maddy Endler

D
5' 4"
Sophomore
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

F
5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science

Players Mentioned

Maddy Endler

#38 Maddy Endler

5' 4"
Sophomore
D
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science
F