Griffs still hungry for MAAC title, prepare for leadership change in 2026
- Andrew Nowel
- 6h
- 3 min read
By Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor
With snowfall beginning in Buffalo, the women’s soccer team wrapped up their season after falling in penalty kicks last Sunday to the Sacred Heart Pioneers in the MAAC Championship game. Each season under Head Coach Ryan Louis has gradually been building a program that is ready for the next step. As the Griffs head into the spring, the team looks to continue their push for the first MAAC title in program history.
Juniors Liz Cavanaugh, Maggie Cregan and Jessica Whitaker are ready to step up and take the role of leadership as the senior class prepares for graduation. The Griffs have made the MAAC Championships four of the five seasons that Louis has been the head coach, advancing by one round each season, with this year being their third championship game appearance in program history. The goal for next year remains the same as it has been: “We want to win the MAAC next year. It’s our last year all together which is bittersweet, so I think it’d be a fairytale ending to win the MAAC next year,” said Cregan on Wednesday.
With four seniors graduating and graduate student Cayla Cajilig completing her eligibility, the team will look different, but it’s something that Louis is always prepared for. “Every year you panic when you lose a player, but it’s incredible how the next person steps in and takes over whether that be a leadership role or whatever it might be, there’s always someone that steps up. What’s exciting is that we saw it this year,” said Louis on Wednesday.
The Griffs finished with an 8–8–3 overall record and a 7–4–1 MAAC record, their best mark in the conference since 2016. The backing behind the success came from the family aspect that the team showed starting even before the season began last spring. “We were very close, we worked a lot on team culture this season and it was a lot of trying to make each other laugh, dance to the music, and it really did impact the team because it kept all of our spirits up,” said Cavanaugh. Assistant Coach Taylor DiMarco commented on how the family that the team created made the Griffs stronger every day. “We had a patch through the middle of the season where we didn’t get results as a team, but sticking together as a family definitely brought them together even more and made them stronger. During our playoff game against Quinnipiac, we went through a lot of adversity and that family aspect kept the team together where a lot of teams without it crumble,” said DiMarco.
Whitaker led the Griffs with 14 points while Cregan ended the season with seven. Whitaker’s success stemmed from her teammates and their ability to work as one unit. “I feel like I’ve improved with each season and it’s been great helping the girls in every way I have,” said Whitaker. Cregan was the hero throughout the playoffs, scoring two goals, one in penalty kicks, at Quinnipiac and adding a third in penalty kicks against the Pioneers in the eventual loss. “Having the team behind you, knowing the relationships we built with our teammates helped to motivate us to keep going,” said Cregan.
Now that Louis knows the capabilities of the team, the plan for the spring will be to ramp things up during practices and with the opponents that the Griffs will play. “I think we have a good idea of the identity of the group now, so can we get stronger, can we get fitter, and really just fine-tune certain areas to make us better,” said Louis. The Griffs will return to the Demske in the spring and the team is ready to come back for a MAAC title next season.
