Expectations are high for UConn women’s soccer entering the 2026 season. The Huskies were picked to finish second in the Big East and nabbed two first-place votes along the way. Meanwhile, women’s college soccer guru Chris Henderson projected UConn as the top team in the conference, noting that “if you want to kill the league’s giants, this is the year.”
And yet, according to Rodriguez, her team is in the midst of a transition.
“We’re in a little bit of a rebuild,” she told The UConn Blog on Tuesday.
“I’ve got a lot of new faces, whether they’re freshmen, transfers, or even our returners filling new roles. So I’m confident with who we are and our foundation and our structure, but we gotta get these players up to speed quickly.”
After an 11-4-3 season in 2025 in which they were left out of the NCAA Tournament despite ranking 44th in RPI, the Huskies lost nine players who started at least a game. With so many holes to plug, UConn turned to the transfer portal.
Historically, the Huskies have largely relied on homegrown talent while mixing in a few transfers. This year, they brought in a record six new players through the portal. Some replaced outgoing transfers, but the others were added specifically to bolster the roster.
“We weeded out some players that we felt maybe found better homes,” Rodriguez said. “It was time to bring in a little bit more. We needed a little bit more experience to come in.”
The head coach likes what she’s seen so far through preseason practices and a pair of exhibitions. In a 0-0 draw with UMass, UConn showed off its strong defensive structure and created plenty of scoring chances, but struggled to finish. Against UNH on Sunday, the Huskies went down four minutes in off “a silly mistake” and let in “three really soft goals” in total. Still, they scored twice and “created a ton”.
The hope is they’ve gotten those issues out of their system with the regular season set to begin on Thursday at Stony Brook.
“So now, instead of learning who we are, it’s going to be about learning how to win,” Rodriguez said. “We needed those lessons.”
UConn’s goals are clear. It wants to compete for Big East championships and return to the NCAA Tournament for a second time in three years. The rest of the league believes the Huskies are capable. Now, they need to execute.
“We’re being respected in the conference being ranked second but it means nothing. It means absolutely nothing. We gotta learn quickly and come together quickly,” Rodriguez said. “Like everyone says, like transfers have experience, but they’re still new to a program, no matter who you are, and it takes time to build. During the soccer season, you don’t have that much time. You learn on the fly. We know what it takes to get [to the NCAA Tournament], and right now we’re working on that.”
Names to know
Among the returners, Glastonbury’s Alayna Taylor and Manchester’s Se-Hanna Mars should see plenty of time up top, Maree-Anne Van Doesburg impressed as a freshman in the midfield while Lydia LeBlanc will be a lynchpin at left back.
UConn will also be without two of its top players for extended stretches. Midfield Anaya Johnson is dealing with an injury that will likely keep her sidelined until conference play and right back Ines Nourani made Canada’s U-20 World Cup roster, which means she’ll be gone after the home opener to Rutgers on Aug. 20 and will miss “a big chunk of the season.”
Now for the newcomers.
Manchester, Connecticut native Shea Boyle (Seton Hall) and Morgan Barry (Vermont) will form UConn’s center back pairing.
“They’re big, strong and it’s just about getting a little bit of continuity and trusting who they are. They’re athletic, they’re going to protect our net. Love them,” Rodriguez said.
Meanwhile, Chloe Shimkin (Texas), “a little spark,” will slot in at left wing.
UConn will also rely on a handful of freshmen. Lily Onorato will start in goal — “she’s phenomenal,” Rodriguez said — while midfielders Maeve Staunton, a native of Bloomfield, and Anya Montano were both highlighted by the coach as “quality” players.
Top games
at Stony Brook (Thursday, Aug. 13)
UConn begins the new season tonight at Stony Brook at 6 p.m. ET. The Seawolves were picked to win the CAA in the league’s preseason poll.
Rutgers (Thursday, Aug. 20)
UConn will open its home slate against former conference mate and perennial NCAA Tournament team Rutgers. The two teams tied 0-0 in Piscataway early last season after the Huskies upset the Scarlet Knights in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
This contest will be second half of a doubleheader with UConn men’s soccer. Chris Gbandi’s squad will take on Syracuse at 5 p.m. ET from Morrone Stadium.
at Brown (Thursday, Aug. 27)
Over the last few years, Brown has quietly established itself as one of the top programs in New England. Between 2021-23, it won three straight Ivy League championships and reached the NCAA Tournament every year. They went 9-4-4 last season.
at St. John’s (Wednesday, Sept. 30)
UConn begins Big East play on the final day of September with a trip to St. John’s. The Huskies are unbeaten in their last four games against the Red Storm.
at Xavier (Saturday, Oct. 10)
Always one of the best teams in the league, Xavier ended UConn’s 2025 season with a 7-0 destruction in the Big East Tournament. The Musketeers went on to beat Georgetown in the final and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown (Saturday, Oct. 31)
UConn’s arch-nemesis comes to town for senior night on Halloween. Georgetown is the standard in the Big East, having won seven regular season crowns under head coach Dave Nolan while making the NCAA Tournament every season since 2012. The Huskies are just 2-1-8 (W-D-L) against the Hoyas since rejoining the league.
How to watch
Every Big East game — home and away — will be streamed on ESPN+. The Huskies’ home non-conference slate will be available on UConn+ while out-of-conference games on the road will vary depending on the opponent.
