Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer at UAB on September 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM
8:00 PM
Women's Soccer
at UAB
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
2026 Women’s Soccer Season Outlook
8/10/2026 3:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic women's soccer returns to the pitch for the 2026 season on Wednesday, marking the start of Head Coach Patrick Baker's 14th season at the helm of the program.
The 27-player roster for '26 sees an influx of 17 newcomers, including 12 freshmen. Of the team's 10 returners, five recorded 10 or more starts a year ago: forwards Sutton Markee and Hailey Santiago, midfielder Isabel Bostic, defender Sydney Neira and goalkeeper Ashley Small.
Geographically, the team hails from across 10 different states, including 14 natives of the Sunshine State, along with three players originally from Canada and one from Brazil. Eighteen players are underclassmen, with 10 juniors or above.
SEASON PREVIEW VIDEO
Here is a breakdown of the team by position group:
FORWARDS (7)
Returners (3) – #14 Sutton Markee (Jr.), #6 Sammi Jo Payne (Jr.), #7 Hailey Santiago (Jr.)
Newcomers (4 – 1 transfer, 3 freshmen) – #11 Alex Bayouth (Jr.), #8 Maiya Castillo (Fr.), #13 Amelia Hillman (Fr.), #3 Olivia Surprenant (Fr.)
This is the most experienced returnee group, with the trio of Markee, Payne and Santiago playing in 53 out of a possible 57 matches – and nearly 2,700 combined minutes – between them last year. Santiago scored six goals and had two assists in a 2025 American Third Team All-Conference season.
Bayouth comes to FAU after two seasons at Stephen F. Austin, which included Southland Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. Castillo is a local product, the all-time leading girls' scorer from FAU High School, while Hillman (Toronto, Ontario) and Surprenant (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec) each starred as prolific goal scorers in the Great White North.
MIDFIELDERS (8)
Returners (2) – #15 Isabel Bostic (So.), #18 Izabel Cao (So.)
Newcomers (6 – 1 transfer, 5 freshmen) – #10 Bella Burr (Sr.), #27 Selena Gaytan (Fr.), #24 Lola Hathorne (Fr.), #5 Sephora Joachim (Fr.), #22 Carly Paz (Fr.), #12 Julia Xavier (Fr.)
Bostic was named 2025 American All-Freshman after 13 starts in 18 matches, while Cao enters her second season with the program.
For the newcomers, Burr comes from Southern Methodist and most recently High Point, where she had five goals in 20 matches (19 starts) in 2025. The five freshmen in the midfield include four Floridians – Gaytan (Chuluota), Hathorne (Loxahatchee), Joachim (Royal Palm Beach) and Paz (Cape Coral) – along with Xavier, who comes to South Florida all the way from São Félix de Minas, Brazil.
Gaytan was a multi-year All-Conference honoree for Florida Kraze Krush; Hathorne helped her King's Academy squad to its first-ever state title; Joachim was named First Team All-County multiple years by multiple publications; and Paz was part of a state finalist team her freshman year, and eventually a three-time All-Area honoree. Xavier has club experience in Brazil, suiting up for Atlético Mineiro and São Paulo U20.
DEFENDERS (8)
Returners (3) – #19 Sydney Neira (Sr.), #17 Jada Graham (So.), #9 Lily Paisant (So.)
Newcomers (5 – 2 transfers, 3 freshmen) – #2 Georgia Cousins (Sr.), #4 Cicely-Ann Spencer-Wickham (Sr.), #25 Sophia Foderaro (Fr.), #28 Avery Runk (Fr.), #26 Emerson Scott (Fr.)
Neira appeared in all 19 games and recorded over 1,000 minutes last year as an Owl; Graham (10 appearances) and Paisant (9 appearances) also saw significant minutes on the pitch in their first collegiate campaign.
Cousins was at South Alabama for two seasons, with 16 games played a year ago, and Spencer-Wickham has 24 matches under her belt in three years, two at Tulsa and the last season at Niagara.
The three freshmen defenders hail from three different states – Foderaro (Vero Beach, Florida), Runk (Chalfont, Pennsylvania) and Scott (Severna Park, Maryland) – and each headed up stout team defenses. For Foderaro, her squad allowed just 15 goals in 17 matches, for Runk, 18 in 22, and Scott, only nine in 17.
GOALKEEPERS (4)
Returners (2) – #99 Nikki Holland (Jr.), #1 Ashley Small (Jr.)
Newcomers (2 – 1 transfer, 1 freshman) – #23 Lily Holden (So.), #00 Kendall Pechacek (Fr.)
Small started 15 games and patrolled 1,194 minutes in the net last season for FAU, her second with the program. Holland appeared in one game and also excelled off the pitch as she was named an NCSA Strength & Conditioning All-American.
Holden comes to Boca Raton after a year at the University of Florida. Out of high school, she was the No. 39 regionally-ranked player in Florida after winning two state championships and making two regional semifinal round appearances in four years. Pechacek was named 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and was the State Final Game MVP, making two saves in a shootout to cement her squad's state title.
ROSTER
For the full 2026 women's soccer roster, click HERE.
SCHEDULE
For the full 2026 women's soccer schedule, click HERE.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things Florida Atlantic women's soccer, follow the team on social media @FAUWSoccer.
#WIP
The 27-player roster for '26 sees an influx of 17 newcomers, including 12 freshmen. Of the team's 10 returners, five recorded 10 or more starts a year ago: forwards Sutton Markee and Hailey Santiago, midfielder Isabel Bostic, defender Sydney Neira and goalkeeper Ashley Small.
Geographically, the team hails from across 10 different states, including 14 natives of the Sunshine State, along with three players originally from Canada and one from Brazil. Eighteen players are underclassmen, with 10 juniors or above.
SEASON PREVIEW VIDEO
Here is a breakdown of the team by position group:
FORWARDS (7)
Returners (3) – #14 Sutton Markee (Jr.), #6 Sammi Jo Payne (Jr.), #7 Hailey Santiago (Jr.)
Newcomers (4 – 1 transfer, 3 freshmen) – #11 Alex Bayouth (Jr.), #8 Maiya Castillo (Fr.), #13 Amelia Hillman (Fr.), #3 Olivia Surprenant (Fr.)
This is the most experienced returnee group, with the trio of Markee, Payne and Santiago playing in 53 out of a possible 57 matches – and nearly 2,700 combined minutes – between them last year. Santiago scored six goals and had two assists in a 2025 American Third Team All-Conference season.
Bayouth comes to FAU after two seasons at Stephen F. Austin, which included Southland Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. Castillo is a local product, the all-time leading girls' scorer from FAU High School, while Hillman (Toronto, Ontario) and Surprenant (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec) each starred as prolific goal scorers in the Great White North.
MIDFIELDERS (8)
Returners (2) – #15 Isabel Bostic (So.), #18 Izabel Cao (So.)
Newcomers (6 – 1 transfer, 5 freshmen) – #10 Bella Burr (Sr.), #27 Selena Gaytan (Fr.), #24 Lola Hathorne (Fr.), #5 Sephora Joachim (Fr.), #22 Carly Paz (Fr.), #12 Julia Xavier (Fr.)
Bostic was named 2025 American All-Freshman after 13 starts in 18 matches, while Cao enters her second season with the program.
For the newcomers, Burr comes from Southern Methodist and most recently High Point, where she had five goals in 20 matches (19 starts) in 2025. The five freshmen in the midfield include four Floridians – Gaytan (Chuluota), Hathorne (Loxahatchee), Joachim (Royal Palm Beach) and Paz (Cape Coral) – along with Xavier, who comes to South Florida all the way from São Félix de Minas, Brazil.
Gaytan was a multi-year All-Conference honoree for Florida Kraze Krush; Hathorne helped her King's Academy squad to its first-ever state title; Joachim was named First Team All-County multiple years by multiple publications; and Paz was part of a state finalist team her freshman year, and eventually a three-time All-Area honoree. Xavier has club experience in Brazil, suiting up for Atlético Mineiro and São Paulo U20.
DEFENDERS (8)
Returners (3) – #19 Sydney Neira (Sr.), #17 Jada Graham (So.), #9 Lily Paisant (So.)
Newcomers (5 – 2 transfers, 3 freshmen) – #2 Georgia Cousins (Sr.), #4 Cicely-Ann Spencer-Wickham (Sr.), #25 Sophia Foderaro (Fr.), #28 Avery Runk (Fr.), #26 Emerson Scott (Fr.)
Neira appeared in all 19 games and recorded over 1,000 minutes last year as an Owl; Graham (10 appearances) and Paisant (9 appearances) also saw significant minutes on the pitch in their first collegiate campaign.
Cousins was at South Alabama for two seasons, with 16 games played a year ago, and Spencer-Wickham has 24 matches under her belt in three years, two at Tulsa and the last season at Niagara.
The three freshmen defenders hail from three different states – Foderaro (Vero Beach, Florida), Runk (Chalfont, Pennsylvania) and Scott (Severna Park, Maryland) – and each headed up stout team defenses. For Foderaro, her squad allowed just 15 goals in 17 matches, for Runk, 18 in 22, and Scott, only nine in 17.
GOALKEEPERS (4)
Returners (2) – #99 Nikki Holland (Jr.), #1 Ashley Small (Jr.)
Newcomers (2 – 1 transfer, 1 freshman) – #23 Lily Holden (So.), #00 Kendall Pechacek (Fr.)
Small started 15 games and patrolled 1,194 minutes in the net last season for FAU, her second with the program. Holland appeared in one game and also excelled off the pitch as she was named an NCSA Strength & Conditioning All-American.
Holden comes to Boca Raton after a year at the University of Florida. Out of high school, she was the No. 39 regionally-ranked player in Florida after winning two state championships and making two regional semifinal round appearances in four years. Pechacek was named 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and was the State Final Game MVP, making two saves in a shootout to cement her squad's state title.
ROSTER
For the full 2026 women's soccer roster, click HERE.
SCHEDULE
For the full 2026 women's soccer schedule, click HERE.
FOLLOW THE OWLS
To stay up to date on all things Florida Atlantic women's soccer, follow the team on social media @FAUWSoccer.
#WIP
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