University of New Hampshire Athletics
UNH Has Revamped Roster Heading Into Spring 2021 Season
2/13/2021 10:22:00 AM | Women's Soccer
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women's soccer team, along with other sports that had its season postponed, has been preparing to play in the spring semester. The Wildcats open the Spring 2021 season by playing host to Northeastern University on Sunday, Feb. 14.
UNH's Spring 2021 team, led by seventh-year head coach Steve Welham, has a very different looking roster from the one that went 10-8-0, scored 28 goals (the most by UNH since '07), shut out six opponents and advanced to the America East semifinals in the 2019 season.
The Wildcats lost five of its top six point producers and eight starters from that squad and brought in a 12-member freshman class.
"We had a lot of talent in our senior class last year and I know our freshman class is just as talented," said captain Francesca Picicci (North Massapequa, N.Y.). "Being able to practice and play scrimmages with our new talent and our veterans on the team in the fall allowed us to learn how everyone plays and move forward in a cohesive way."
LISTEN to Episode 11 of the UNH Wildcats that features head coach Steve Welham.
A normal fall season would have had the team ramping up for its schedule before students arrived on campus at the end of the summer. However, the fall semester went by with no UNH fall sports competing.
Welham admitted that fall 2020 was different without being able to play games and was challenging because of restrictions, but the team did its best take away as many positives as possible.
"We had to be flexible and open-minded," explained Welham. "We were able to take a very positive approach implementing a new style of play enhancing upon the current base and platform that we have."
Welham also noted that senior captains Casey Peterson (Round Hill, Va.) and Picicci were instrumental in moving the Wildcats forward through the fall into the spring.
"It felt amazing being back on the field with my teammates and everyone was just grateful to be out there," Picicci said. "Even though we had to progress slowly with the new protocols, we continued to get better each day and worked even harder because we knew we needed to be ready for the spring season."
Peterson, a second-year captain, credited the staff with creating a positive culture.
"Our coaches also did a lot for us this fall and made sure we could progress and make the most of our time together," Peterson explained. "I know we are all ready to come back in the spring and put together all the work we've put in last fall."
And now, with snow on the ground, the Spring 2021 season is upon the Wildcats.
Peterson is one of three returning starters. The midfield/forward played in 16 of 18 games, was in the starting lineup 15 times and played 1,312 of a possible 1,621 minutes. She tallied one point on an assist and a total of nine shots. Peterson has 30 starts the past two seasons.
Picicci, a forward/midfield player, saw action in all 18 games and was in the starting lineup once (Sept. 29 at Binghamton University); she played a total of 440 minutes.
UNH's top returning point producer is sophomore Whitney Wiley (Vienna, Va.), who was named to the 2019 America East All-Rookie Team. Wiley ranked third on the team in goals (five), assists (three) and points (13), and her 41 shots tied for second. She scored the game-winning goal at Vermont and vs. Sacred Heart, and finished that game vs. SHU with two goals. Wiley started every game and was on the pitch for 1,405 minutes.
New Hampshire's other returning starter is junior goalkeeper Cat Sheppard (Nesconset, N.Y.), who started all 18 games and played 1,580 of a possible 1,621 minutes. Sheppard had a 10-8-0 record with a 1.03 GAA, .804 save percentage and five shutouts; she also combined with Cam Droste (Lone Tree, Colo.) for another shutout. In eight America East conference games, Sheppard was 5-3-0 with a 1.02 GAA, .814 save percentage and three shutouts.
Sheppard allowed just 18 goals to mark the fifth-lowest single-season total in program history. Her highlights included a shutout streak of 260:17 spanning four games and another shutout streak of 250:50 that also spanned four games, as she recorded back-to-back shutouts twice.
Droste is the team's only other senior. The goalie has seen a total of 61:12 of action in five career games.
Sheppard is joined in the junior class by Julie Cane (Titusville, N.J.), Alyssa Di Lorenzo (Floral Park, N.Y.) and Halle Hamilton (Londonderry, N.H.). Cane had five starts in 16 games in the 2019 season; the midfield/forward recorded one goal for two points. Di Lorenzo has seen action in seven games as a back/forward in two years as a Wildcat. Hamilton, a back, had one start in five games played last season and has six career caps.
Wiley is one of five sophomores on the Spring 2021 roster. Midfield/forward Shayna Salis (Bedford, N.H.) recorded a goal and an assist for three points in 494 minutes off the bench in 15 games. Midfielder Rachel Hollywood (Mullica, N.J.) played in six games and back/midfield Bethany Bussey (Wheaton, Ill.) saw action in three games. Goalie Bethany Dunk (Bridgewater, Mass.) did not see any game action in a reserve role.
UNH lost 12 letterwinners from the 2019 roster and has replenished this year's roster with 12 freshmen.
"Our recruiting class will allow us to continue to be successful on and off the field," Welham said. "We continue to look forward and build on our upward trajectory and we know this class will help us do just that."
Ande Allison (Carlisle, Ohio) joins the Wildcats from Carlisle High School and the Cincinnati Development Soccer Academy. This former all-league and all-district varsity soccer player is a great addition to UNH's midfield.
Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) adds depth to the Wildcat midfield and outfield players, coming from Guilderland High and World Class FC – ECNL. Bini advanced to the ECNL Final Four with WCFC, and has the perfect midfield stamina as she also lettered in varsity cross country, earning MVP honors in 2016.
Ashley Buchheit (Downington, Pa.) is the newest member of New Hampshire's goalkeeping corps. Buchheit saw great success in the Pennsylvania Ches-Mont league winning the league her junior and senior seasons with Downington East.
Ella Dudley (St. Augustine, Fla.) will help fill in UNH's backline, playing as a center or outside back. Dudley had an outstanding career with Bartram Trail High School, where she was St. John's County Player of the Year, a two-time captain and regional/conference champion with the Bears.
Anna Hewlett (Webster, N.Y.) played her pre-college soccer with Webster Schroeder High School and the Western NY Flash of the ECNL. Hewlett proved to be a goal scoring threat all four seasons (47 goals) and looks to continue that output as a midfielder in a Wildcat kit.
Cassie Jones (Beverly, Mass.) played high school soccer at Beverly High, where she scored 63 goals, and club soccer New England F.C. The converted center back to forward saw great success in Massachusetts State Cup competition.
Alivia Kelly (Pembroke, Mass.) will bolster UNH's back line. The tri-sport high school athlete played soccer, track & field, and basketball for Thayer Academy, and played club soccer with Scorpions FC of the ECNL.
Keegan Mayer (Summit, N.J.) was a four-year varsity player at Summit High School; she was team MVP her final three seasons and was a two-time captain. Mayer also played with PDA (the Players Development Academy) of New Jersey. She was a prolific goal scorer and chance creator for Summit High with 48 goals and 20 assists in her career, and joins UNH's group of strikers.
Logan Nicholson (St. Augustine, Fla.) was a team captain for the Jacksonville Armada in her final season with the club and was also a North Florida Senior All-Star at forward for Nease High School, where she scored 46 goals.
Chloe Schnitt (New York, N.Y.) is a back who has also seen time as a forward. The varsity captain for Marymount School started her varsity career in eighth grade. With her club team, FC Fury, she also won a Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Savannah Schoonmaker (State College, Pa.) will bolster the UNH defense; the four-year honor student performed well on and off the field, earning captaincy her senior season at State College Area High. She also saw national championship action with her ECNL club squad, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Kayleigh Shearer (Mosely Va.) is another versatile back who has been a dual threat at forward. Overcoming a knee injury that required surgery her freshman season, Shearer worked her way to a two-year varsity captain with Cosby High, as well as a national title appearance with Richmond United of the ECNL.
New Hampshire was picked fifth in the Spring 2021 America East Women's Soccer Preseason Poll that was released Feb. 10.
UNH's nine-game schedule includes six America East games. The top two teams in each division of the America East standings will qualify for the America East Women's Soccer Championship, which will be held April 15 & 17 at the tournament's top seed.
Spring 2021 Schedule Page
Spring 2021 Roster
UNH's Spring 2021 team, led by seventh-year head coach Steve Welham, has a very different looking roster from the one that went 10-8-0, scored 28 goals (the most by UNH since '07), shut out six opponents and advanced to the America East semifinals in the 2019 season.
The Wildcats lost five of its top six point producers and eight starters from that squad and brought in a 12-member freshman class.
"We had a lot of talent in our senior class last year and I know our freshman class is just as talented," said captain Francesca Picicci (North Massapequa, N.Y.). "Being able to practice and play scrimmages with our new talent and our veterans on the team in the fall allowed us to learn how everyone plays and move forward in a cohesive way."
LISTEN to Episode 11 of the UNH Wildcats that features head coach Steve Welham.
A normal fall season would have had the team ramping up for its schedule before students arrived on campus at the end of the summer. However, the fall semester went by with no UNH fall sports competing.
Welham admitted that fall 2020 was different without being able to play games and was challenging because of restrictions, but the team did its best take away as many positives as possible.
"We had to be flexible and open-minded," explained Welham. "We were able to take a very positive approach implementing a new style of play enhancing upon the current base and platform that we have."
Welham also noted that senior captains Casey Peterson (Round Hill, Va.) and Picicci were instrumental in moving the Wildcats forward through the fall into the spring.
"It felt amazing being back on the field with my teammates and everyone was just grateful to be out there," Picicci said. "Even though we had to progress slowly with the new protocols, we continued to get better each day and worked even harder because we knew we needed to be ready for the spring season."
Peterson, a second-year captain, credited the staff with creating a positive culture.
"Our coaches also did a lot for us this fall and made sure we could progress and make the most of our time together," Peterson explained. "I know we are all ready to come back in the spring and put together all the work we've put in last fall."
And now, with snow on the ground, the Spring 2021 season is upon the Wildcats.
Peterson is one of three returning starters. The midfield/forward played in 16 of 18 games, was in the starting lineup 15 times and played 1,312 of a possible 1,621 minutes. She tallied one point on an assist and a total of nine shots. Peterson has 30 starts the past two seasons.
Picicci, a forward/midfield player, saw action in all 18 games and was in the starting lineup once (Sept. 29 at Binghamton University); she played a total of 440 minutes.
UNH's top returning point producer is sophomore Whitney Wiley (Vienna, Va.), who was named to the 2019 America East All-Rookie Team. Wiley ranked third on the team in goals (five), assists (three) and points (13), and her 41 shots tied for second. She scored the game-winning goal at Vermont and vs. Sacred Heart, and finished that game vs. SHU with two goals. Wiley started every game and was on the pitch for 1,405 minutes.
New Hampshire's other returning starter is junior goalkeeper Cat Sheppard (Nesconset, N.Y.), who started all 18 games and played 1,580 of a possible 1,621 minutes. Sheppard had a 10-8-0 record with a 1.03 GAA, .804 save percentage and five shutouts; she also combined with Cam Droste (Lone Tree, Colo.) for another shutout. In eight America East conference games, Sheppard was 5-3-0 with a 1.02 GAA, .814 save percentage and three shutouts.
Sheppard allowed just 18 goals to mark the fifth-lowest single-season total in program history. Her highlights included a shutout streak of 260:17 spanning four games and another shutout streak of 250:50 that also spanned four games, as she recorded back-to-back shutouts twice.
Droste is the team's only other senior. The goalie has seen a total of 61:12 of action in five career games.
Sheppard is joined in the junior class by Julie Cane (Titusville, N.J.), Alyssa Di Lorenzo (Floral Park, N.Y.) and Halle Hamilton (Londonderry, N.H.). Cane had five starts in 16 games in the 2019 season; the midfield/forward recorded one goal for two points. Di Lorenzo has seen action in seven games as a back/forward in two years as a Wildcat. Hamilton, a back, had one start in five games played last season and has six career caps.
Wiley is one of five sophomores on the Spring 2021 roster. Midfield/forward Shayna Salis (Bedford, N.H.) recorded a goal and an assist for three points in 494 minutes off the bench in 15 games. Midfielder Rachel Hollywood (Mullica, N.J.) played in six games and back/midfield Bethany Bussey (Wheaton, Ill.) saw action in three games. Goalie Bethany Dunk (Bridgewater, Mass.) did not see any game action in a reserve role.
UNH lost 12 letterwinners from the 2019 roster and has replenished this year's roster with 12 freshmen.
"Our recruiting class will allow us to continue to be successful on and off the field," Welham said. "We continue to look forward and build on our upward trajectory and we know this class will help us do just that."
Ande Allison (Carlisle, Ohio) joins the Wildcats from Carlisle High School and the Cincinnati Development Soccer Academy. This former all-league and all-district varsity soccer player is a great addition to UNH's midfield.
Emily Bini (Guilderland, N.Y.) adds depth to the Wildcat midfield and outfield players, coming from Guilderland High and World Class FC – ECNL. Bini advanced to the ECNL Final Four with WCFC, and has the perfect midfield stamina as she also lettered in varsity cross country, earning MVP honors in 2016.
Ashley Buchheit (Downington, Pa.) is the newest member of New Hampshire's goalkeeping corps. Buchheit saw great success in the Pennsylvania Ches-Mont league winning the league her junior and senior seasons with Downington East.
Ella Dudley (St. Augustine, Fla.) will help fill in UNH's backline, playing as a center or outside back. Dudley had an outstanding career with Bartram Trail High School, where she was St. John's County Player of the Year, a two-time captain and regional/conference champion with the Bears.
Anna Hewlett (Webster, N.Y.) played her pre-college soccer with Webster Schroeder High School and the Western NY Flash of the ECNL. Hewlett proved to be a goal scoring threat all four seasons (47 goals) and looks to continue that output as a midfielder in a Wildcat kit.
Cassie Jones (Beverly, Mass.) played high school soccer at Beverly High, where she scored 63 goals, and club soccer New England F.C. The converted center back to forward saw great success in Massachusetts State Cup competition.
Alivia Kelly (Pembroke, Mass.) will bolster UNH's back line. The tri-sport high school athlete played soccer, track & field, and basketball for Thayer Academy, and played club soccer with Scorpions FC of the ECNL.
Keegan Mayer (Summit, N.J.) was a four-year varsity player at Summit High School; she was team MVP her final three seasons and was a two-time captain. Mayer also played with PDA (the Players Development Academy) of New Jersey. She was a prolific goal scorer and chance creator for Summit High with 48 goals and 20 assists in her career, and joins UNH's group of strikers.
Logan Nicholson (St. Augustine, Fla.) was a team captain for the Jacksonville Armada in her final season with the club and was also a North Florida Senior All-Star at forward for Nease High School, where she scored 46 goals.
Chloe Schnitt (New York, N.Y.) is a back who has also seen time as a forward. The varsity captain for Marymount School started her varsity career in eighth grade. With her club team, FC Fury, she also won a Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Savannah Schoonmaker (State College, Pa.) will bolster the UNH defense; the four-year honor student performed well on and off the field, earning captaincy her senior season at State College Area High. She also saw national championship action with her ECNL club squad, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Kayleigh Shearer (Mosely Va.) is another versatile back who has been a dual threat at forward. Overcoming a knee injury that required surgery her freshman season, Shearer worked her way to a two-year varsity captain with Cosby High, as well as a national title appearance with Richmond United of the ECNL.
New Hampshire was picked fifth in the Spring 2021 America East Women's Soccer Preseason Poll that was released Feb. 10.
UNH's nine-game schedule includes six America East games. The top two teams in each division of the America East standings will qualify for the America East Women's Soccer Championship, which will be held April 15 & 17 at the tournament's top seed.
Spring 2021 Schedule Page
Spring 2021 Roster
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F/MF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
B/M
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's Soccer
B/F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
C/M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's Soccer
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
B
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's SoccerUNH Women's Soccer vs Binghamton Highlights 10-19-25
Sunday, October 19
UNH Women's Soccer vs NJIT Highlights 10-5-25
Sunday, October 05
UNH Women's Soccer vs UMass Lowell Highlights 10 2 25
Friday, October 03
UNH Women's Soccer vs Southern Maine Highlights 9 21 25
Sunday, September 21