Women's Soccer | 7/10/2026 10:00:00 AM

ERIE, Pa. – Head coach Colin Petersen has announced the 2026 Gannon women's soccer schedule as the Golden Knights look to build on five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and another Top 25 finish.

The 18-match regular season features eight home contests at McConnell Family Stadium as the Golden Knights aim to earn their sixth consecutive PSAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament berths while once again being among the top contenders in the PSAC.

Gannon enters the 2026 campaign following another successful season in which it finished 16-3-2 overall, advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the fifth consecutive season and ninth time in program history, and closed the year ranked No. 25 in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll.

"We know it's going to be a tough schedule," Petersen said. "The teams in our conference continue to improve, and adding Lock Haven to our side brings another competitive opponent. Every game is important, and we'll have to be ready from the very beginning."

The Golden Knights open the season on Saturday, Aug. 29, by hosting Seton Hill at McConnell Family Stadium before welcoming Clarion on Sept. 2. Gannon then travels to IUP on Sept. 5 for its first road match of the season.

One of the biggest changes to the conference schedule comes with Lock Haven joining the PSAC West. The Golden Knights will host the Bald Eagles on Sept. 19 before making the return trip to Lock Haven on Oct. 17.

"I think Lock Haven will bring some good competition to our side," Petersen said. "They played a lot of close games last year, so we'll have to be prepared, especially when we travel there after playing Adelphi. That's going to be a tough week for us, but if we can get through it, I think we'll be in good shape."

The 2026 schedule features eight home matches at McConnell Family Stadium and 10 road contests. In addition to its 16 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matches, Gannon will travel to Roberts Wesleyan on Sept. 23 before visiting Adelphi on Oct. 14 in its two non-conference contests.

The Golden Knights defeated Roberts Wesleyan, 5-0, last season and earned a historic 5-1 victory over then-No. 24 Adelphi at McConnell Family Stadium, marking the program's first-ever win over the Panthers after dropping the previous five meetings, including an NCAA Elite Eight matchup in 2024.
 
Other home conference matches include Slippery Rock (Sept. 9), IUP (Oct. 3), Edinboro (Oct. 7), California (Pa.) during Soctober Alumni Weekend (Oct. 10), and Pitt-Johnstown (Oct. 24). Gannon concludes the regular season at Clarion on Oct. 28 before the PSAC Tournament begins on Oct. 31.

The NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional is scheduled to begin Nov. 12, while the NCAA Division II Final Four and National Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.