NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's lacrosse team enters the 2026 season with some big shoes to fill – 16 players from last year's team graduated, including four USA Lacrosse All-Americans. Still, the Bulldogs have plenty of building blocks in place. Yale returns 21 players from the 2025 season for 2026, including four who started 10 or more games. All of those four were key parts of a defense that ranked No. 4 nationally in scoring defense, including the team's captain: senior defender Emmy Pascal (Lorton, Va.). The Bulldogs have added eight first-years, two of whom were named to ILWomen's Power 100 national rankings of first-year players.
 
The Bulldogs aim to build on their recent accomplishments, which include advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. They won the Ivy League Tournament each of the past two years as well. In 2024 they secured the first outright regular season Ivy League Championship in program history (Yale shared the Ivy title in 1980 and 2003). The Bulldogs' 17 overall wins in 2024 were a school record, and last year's 16 wins rank second. 
 
Here is a position-by-position look at the Bulldogs heading into 2026:
 
Attack
7 players (2 seniors, 3 juniors, 2 sophomores, 0 first-years)
0 returners with 10 or more starts in 2025
 
A pair of seniors provide leadership for Yale's attack. Senior attacker Megan Kitagawa has stepped up when called upon throughout her career, delivering a career-high 10 assists (fourth on the team) last season. In addition to her 33 career games played at Yale, she has extensive experience playing internationally for Team Japan. Classmate Ashley Newman has the potential to be a top-notch feeder. She appeared in 16 games last year, totaling five assists. 
 
Three junior attackers could figure prominently in Yale's plans. Ashley Kiernan was third on the team in assists (12) and fifth on the team in goals (11) and points (23) last year. Paris Panagopoulos appeared in three games last year, mainly as a draw control specialist. Lily Spinner scored the first three goals of her career last year, and she has 12 games of experience.
 
A pair of sophomore attackers will look to build on their experience from last season. Chloe Gwaku appeared in three games, scoring her first career goal and adding three assists. Classmate Kelly Holmes appeared in 13 games, scoring her first career goal and adding six assists. Holmes was a two-time All-American in high school.
 
Midfield
11 players (1 senior, 0 juniors, 4 sophomores, 6 first-years)
0 returners with 10 or more starts in 2025 
 
Jordan Messina, who has appeared in eight career games. is the lone senior midfielder for the Bulldogs.

With no junior midfielders, the Bulldogs will be counting on many of their younger players at this crucial position. The sophomore class features multiple talented middies who will look to prove themselves. Skylar Cohen was a two-time all-county selection in high school but missed last season due to injury. Megan Doyle, a three-time USA Lacrosse All-American in high school, appeared in three games last year. Lindsay Thomas, a three-time all-county selection in high school, appeared in three games last year and scored the first two goals of her Yale career. Olivia Weston, a USA Lacrosse All-American in high school, appeared in seven games last season.
 
The first-year midfield class is loaded; the group combined for six All-America selections in high school. Meg Bohan (Concord, N.H.) was a two-time All-American in high school, leading St. Paul's School to a No. 7 ranking in New England last year. Nell Ducey (Summit, N.J.) was an All-American at Summit High last year, helping the Hilltoppers finish as North Group 3 State Champions. Whitney Froeb (San Francisco, Calif.) was an All-American at San Francisco University High, earning a spot on the USA Select U18 Team in 2023 and 2024. Kate Gould (Nyack, N.Y.) was a two-time All-American at Nyack High, where she helped the RedHawks finish as New York State Section 1 Champions last year. Kaitlyn Roth (Newtown Square, Pa.) was a Media Area Sports Hall of Fame honoree at Penncrest High, where the team was a state and district finalist. Maddy Ryder (Camillus, N.Y.) was second-team All-Central New York in 2024 at West Genesee High, where the team was New York state runners-up that year.
 
Defense
8 players (3 seniors, 3 juniors, 1 sophomore, 1 first-year)
3 returners with 10 or more starts in 2025: Clare, Pascal, Saviano
 
A trio of seniors anchor the Yale defense, having helped the Bulldogs rank No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense last year. Emmy Pascal, Yale's captain, has earned All-America honors in each of the past two seasons and is on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the second season in a row. She tied for third on the team in ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (15) last year. Pascal has missed just one game in her career; she has started the other 56. Bella Saviano started all 20 games last year, totaling 19 ground balls. Her career experience includes 56 games played and 45 starts. Sarah Waits missed last season due to injury; she has appeared in eight career games.
 
Junior Katie Clare tied for third on the team in ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (15) last year. The former midfielder has started all 40 games of her career. Classmate Sydney Grogan started all 20 games in her first year but was sidelined for the majority of last year. Lauren McCartin has appeared in six games for her career.
 
Sophomore Maggie Bellissimo emerged as a starter last year, appearing in 13 games and starting nine – including all five postseason games. Her blocked shot in the final seconds helped seal the 9-8 win vs. Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
First-year Avery Saviano (Severna Park, Md.), Bella's sister, was a USA Lacrosse All-American for Severna Park High School. She was ranked as a five-star recruit by Inside Lacrosse each of the last two years.
 
Goalkeeper
3 players (0 seniors, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, 1 first-year)
1 returner with 10 or more starts in 2025: Pfaff
 
The Bulldogs return two goalies who have played big roles in the team's recent success, and they add one keeper in the first-year class.
 
Junior Laura O'Connor has an 11-1 career record, having appeared in 19 games (15 starts) in her first two seasons. Her single-game high in saves is 10. 
 
Sophomore Niamh Pfaff was a key part of the No. 4 defense in the country last year, finishing with a 10-3 record while ranking No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in the Ivy League in goals-against average (8.73). She started the last nine games of the season, including a pair of wins in the Ivy League Tournament and a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament.
 
First-year Olivia Smit (Annapolis, Md.) was a three-year starter at Deerfield and an Under Armour 150 invitee with Mass Elite. At five-foot-11, she is Yale's tallest keeper since the team began recording player heights in 2001.
 
Coaching Staff
Stability has been a hallmark of the Yale staff, and all of last year's coaches are returning. This is Yale's 11th year with Erica Bamford as the team's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. Associate head coach Colleen Smith returns for her 10th year and assistant coach Molly Palella enters her ninth year. Assistant coach Brooklyn Neumen is back for her second year. 
 
Schedule
The Bulldogs will test themselves against some of the nation's best teams in 2026. The most recent ILWomen poll, in which Yale was ranked No. 12, included seven Yale opponents:
 
6. Princeton
11. Penn
14. Syracuse
17. Army West Point
19. Michigan
23. Harvard
25. Brown
 
Yale's 15 regular-season games include seven Ivy League games and eight non-league games. The Ivy League women's lacrosse tournament, in which the top four teams in the final standings play for the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, takes place at the home field of the highest seed May 1 and 3.