ERIE, Pa. – Coach Colin Petersen's Gannon women's soccer team enters the 2024 season with many key players returning from a 2023 squad that reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
However, Petersen and his team know that this is a different season and that the 2024 Golden Knights, despite their talent, will have to build their own identity and outwork opponents. Gannon will be a target for opponents after being selected as the PSAC Western Division favorite in the coaches' preseason poll. The Knights are also ranked No. 5 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
 
"Last year was a very, very successful season for us, but this is a new season now, so the dynamic on the team changes – with incoming players and players leaving," Petersen said. "So, it's still going to be a really difficult task because the rest of the PSAC, all the teams are getting better. So, we're going to have to really step up our game."
 
The good news for Petersen is that many players who had integral roles in the 2024 success have returned. Captains Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler) and Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) have taken leadership roles as captains in their final seasons. Boden is a forward/midfielder while Sinan is a goalie.
 
The Knights also welcome back two players who received All-America recognition as high-scoring freshmen in 2023: forward Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) and midfielder Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell). Two-time All-PSAC midfielder Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) and All-PSAC defender Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell) also return to the lineup. Shepard will be a leader on the defense but others must emerge after the loss of defensive leaders Leah Bermudez (Milton, Ontario/Jean Vanier Catholic) and Gretchen Oslick (Freedom, Pa./Ambridge).
 
Several other regulars are back in the lineup, including senior midfielders Jamie Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) and Paige Taylor (Robina, Australia/Emmanuel College), and the Knights welcome a talented group of newcomers, including two transfer students.
 
Gannon will face a tough opening event when it travels to Kutztown for the KU Invitational to face talented Charleston and Concord on Sept. 5 and Sept. 7, respectively. Gannon's home opener is set for Sept. 11 when it hosts Erie County rival Edinboro.



 
2023 record: 17-5-3
2023 PSAC west record: 13-2-1 (Second place)


2023 postseason:

PSAC Tournament
Quarterfinals: def. Slippery Rock 4-2
Semifinals: def. Kutztown 2-0
Championship: lost to West Chester 2-1
 
NCAA Division II Tournament
First round: def. Mercyhurst 1-0
Second round: def. Charleston (W.Va.) 3-1
Atlantic Regional championship: tied West Chester 1-1 (GU advanced on penalty kicks 5-4)
Elite Eight: lost to Adelphi 1-0

 
Head coach:

Colin Petersen, 23rd season, 205-162-39: During his 22nd season as the women's soccer head coach, Petersen reached a personal milestone with his 200th victory with a 3-1 victory over Seton Hill on Oct. 28, 2023. He is the winningest coach in Gannon women's soccer history.

Since Gannon joined the PSAC in 2008, Petersen has led Gannon to 12 PSAC Tournament appearances and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament. Over the past three seasons, he has guided Gannon to a 44-13-10 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances.

 
Key returnees:

Graduate student goalkeeper Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley): The veteran goalie is a team captain in 2024 after being named All-Atlantic Region Second Team and the All-PSAC Second Team. She started 24 games in 2023 and finished with a 16-3-3 record. Sinan recorded six shutouts and closed the season with a 0.97 goals-against average.
 
Senior forward/midfielder Gabby Boden (Butler, Pa./Butler): The two-time All-PSAC Second Team selection is a team leader who will serve as a captain in 2024. She is a versatile player who can excel at the forward and midfielder spots. Boden placed second on the team with 10 assists in 2023 and finished third with 20 points in 2023. She scored five goals.
 
Junior midfielder Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport): She is a two-time All-PSAC West First Team selection whose season was cut short by a late-season injury. Fadale finished fourth on the team with seven goals and was fifth with 15 points.
 
Sophomore forward Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane): She was named D2CCA All-America Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team after tying for third in NCAA Division II with 16 assists. Respecki tied for fifth nationally with 42 points, the second-highest single-season total in Gannon history. She was the PSAC West Freshman of the Year.
 
Sophomore midfielder Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell): As a freshman, she was voted a D2CCA First Team All-American. The D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches both honored her as All-Atlantic Region First Team. She tied for 16th in NCAA Division II with 14 goals and added four assists as she finished second on the team with 32 points.
 
Sophomore defender Hannah Shepard (Erie, Pa./McDowell): She started all 25 games on defense as a freshman for Gannon. She earned All-PSAC First Team honors and will be one of the defensive leaders for the Golden Knights.
 

Season opener:

Thursday, Sept. 5, 3 p.m.: vs. Charleston (W.Va.) in opener of KU Invitational (hosted Kutztown)

 
Home opener:

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.: vs. Edinboro, at McConnell Family Stadium