LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall women's soccer team begins the 2026 season by hosting Elizabethtown for a non-conference match at Tylus Field on Tuesday, September 1, at 4:30 p.m. The Diplomats are coming off a 2025 campaign that saw the team earn a fifth-consecutive berth into the Centennial Conference Tournament F&M looks to get back to the conference title game for the first time since 2024 and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023.

Roster | Schedule | Coaching Staff | Watch Live (Home Games)

2025 Diplomats

Franklin & Marshall finished last season's campaign with an 11-5-4 record, while earning a 5-3-2 record in Centennial Conference play, maintaining an above .500 winning percentage record that dates back to the 2019 season. The Diplomats won four of their last six games to clinch the No. 4 seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament. F&M earned a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Gettysburg in the tournament's first round before falling to No. 13 Swarthmore, 1-0. Six members of the 2025 squad were honored on the All-Centennial Conference team, while Kate Boujoukos '26, Emerson McDonald, and Colleen Ferrarese were also named to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Region V team.

Franklin & Marshall's roster entering the 2026 season features five seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores, and nine first-year players for a roster of 30 players.

Players to Watch

• M - Ellison Errington - Jr. 

• D – Colleen Ferrarese – Sr.

• GK – Lucy Fleming – Sr.

• F - Emerson McDonald - So. 

Nine members of last season's starting XI are back for the 2026 season, and they include notable returners across the pitch. 

Ellison Errington's sophomore season saw her produce the second-most points for the Diplomats, totaling eight goals, including three game winners and two braces, that led to an All-Centennial Conference Second-Team selection. She appeared in all 20 matches for the Diplomats last season with nine starts along the way. 

Colleen Ferrarese marked back-to-back seasons on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team after producing a Centennial Conference best ten assists from a conventional fullback role. She recorded two assists in three separate games and contributed the game-winning assist four times. Across 2025, she appeared in 19 games with 18 starts while contributing towards all eight of the team's shutouts. 

Lucy Fleming started all 20 matches en route to an All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention selection in her junior year. She posted the third-best goals-against average in the conference, conceding 0.68 shots per match, while totaling five shutouts, 51 saves, and an .810 save percentage. 

Emerson McDonald made a direct impact in her first year of collegiate soccer, placing on the USC All-Region V Second Team and the All-Centennial Conference First Team after producing a team-best ten goals and 23 points. Among players in the conference, she ranked fourth in goals per game (.500) and third in points per game (1.15). She started in all 20 games for F&M with two braces, two game-winning goals, and three games with at least one goal and one assist. 

The Road Ahead

Franklin & Marshall will host seven home games in front of the home fans at Tylus Field, while also playing nine road matches during the season. F&M kicks off the 2026 campaign by hosting Elizabethtown on Tuesday, September 1, starting at 4:30 p.m.

The Diplomats continue on the road, playing St. Mary's (Md.) on September 4, before hosting their home opener against York (Pa.) on September 9. F&M takes on Eastern (Sept. 12) and Arcadia (Sept. 16), followed by its Centennial Conference opener at Muhlenberg on September 19. Franklin & Marshall returns to Tylus Field to host Washington College (Sept. 23) and Swarthmore (Sept. 26), before starting a three-game road trip against Dickinson (Oct. 3), McDaniel (Oct. 7), and Penn State Harrisburg (Oct. 11).

After the Diplomats host Gettysburg on October 14, F&M hits the road to battle Johns Hopkins (Oct. 17) and Haverford (Oct. 24). Franklin & Marshall concludes the regular season with home matches against Ursinus (Oct. 28) and Bryn Mawr (Oct. 31).

The Centennial Conference Tournament is held from November 3 to November 8. The NCAA Tournament follows with the first round being played on November 14. The NCAA Final Four will be hosted in Columbus, Ohio on December 3, followed by the championship game on December 6.

In the Polls

After earning the fourth-seed and a semifinal place in the Centennial Conference Tournament a season ago, Franklin & Marshall was selected fourth in the Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll with 75 points. Defending conference champions Johns Hopkins was picked as the top team in the poll, collecting 97 points and eight first-place votes. Swarthmore earned second with 93 points and three first-place votes, while Dickinson (80) collected the third-spot. Gettysburg and Washington College (47), complete the top six, while the rest of the conference ranking goes Haverford (39), McDaniel and Ursinus (38), Muhlenberg (28), and Bryn Mawr (10). View the complete poll here.

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