Syracuse will lose the spine of its team this offseason. Who replaces it?
SU will need its newcomers to perform at a high level with the departure of Ashley Rauch and Shea Vanderbosch, among others, this offseason. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Nicky Thrasher Adams’ seventh year as head coach of Syracuse women’s soccer was a mixed bag. A brand new 3-5-2 formation, which blended a solid defense and potent attack, propelled the Orange to a six-match unbeaten streak entering Atlantic Coast Conference play.
It’d been 1,082 days without an ACC win when Syracuse hosted SMU at SU Soccer Stadium. A 1-1 draw, courtesy of SU’s wingbacks connecting for the equalizer, prompted Syracuse captain Ashley Rauch to say postgame it’ll “be just fine” in the ACC.
However, the next four games saw Syracuse ship 12 goals and score none. A last-minute loss to Clemson left Adams and Co. winless in 33 straight conference matches. Then, Mia Klammer slotted home a 78th-minute winner for Syracuse’s first ACC victory in nearly three years. But SU failed to build on its momentum, losing its final three matches of the season.
Looking to 2026, Syracuse will be without its 2025 spine. Its all-time saves leader Shea Vanderbosch, top goal scorer Klammer and midfield engine Rauch are all graduating. In what could be the last edition of a fall-only college soccer season, the Orange are adding six freshmen to bolster a squad that will be chasing a postseason berth for the first time since 2012.
Lauren Christy, Midfielder, New Hampshire
If things went to plan, 2024-25 Gatorade New Hampshire Girls Soccer Player of the Year Lauren Christy should’ve just finished her first season with Syracuse.
After decommitting from Holy Cross, Christy’s first ID camp she attended was Syracuse’s in July 2024, where she impressed its coaching staff.
“It’s always been my dream to play (in the) ACC,” Christy said. “I really like Syracuse and I’ve followed them for a while. I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t (decommit).”
But all 28 spots on Syracuse’s roster for the 2025 campaign were filled. Instead, Christy, who scored 73 goals and 71 assists across four years at Brewster Academy, reclassified. She committed in October 2024 to play for SU in 2026.
Since graduating from Brewster in May, the three-time New England Preparatory School Athletic Council All-Star has worked on her sprinting, agility and conditioning with Jose Catano of Catano Performance every day.
She goes to class at nearby Northern Essex Community College from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays before training with Seacoast United’s U16 boys side on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Christy is a similar mold to Rauch. She can get up and down the pitch and pick out a pass. When she’s given time around the 18-yard box, she can be lethal. Soon enough, Christy might be anchoring a Syracuse team trying to earn multiple ACC wins in a season for the first time under Adams.
“We could be very successful next year,” Christy said.
Lindsay Parker, Goalkeeper, New York
Vanderbosch is a hard name to live up to in goal. Time and time again, she’s kept the Orange afloat. Sixteen saves against eventual national champion Florida State in 2023 is the pick of the bunch for Vanderbosch, who has her eyes set on a professional career after adding to Syracuse’s storied goalkeeping history.
Somebody has to fill her void next year. That could be Lindsay Parker.
Parker, the daughter of Syracuse strength and conditioning coach Corey Parker, announced her commitment to SU last March. The Jamesville-DeWitt senior has made 350 saves in four years and logged eight clean sheets for the Red Rams just this season.
Like Vanderbosch, she’ll most likely start at the bottom of the goalkeeper pecking order at Syracuse. Sam Haley and Lily Heaslet are still with the program and have the experience advantage. But that didn’t stop Vanderbosch from working her way up the chain in 2022. It might not halt Parker either.
Océane Blouin, Forward, Canada
CF Montréal Academy graduate Océane Blouin, who currently plays for Cégep Garneau, a Division I soccer team in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association. She’s Syracuse’s only 2026 commit to have already played a collegiate match, albeit not in the U.S.
Syracuse’s 4-2 defeat to No. 23 North Carolina Sunday marked the end of Klammer’s SU career. The former United Soccer Coaches D-II National Player of the Year scored SU’s most goals in a season since New Zealand’s Stephanie Skilton also registered eight in 2014.
Syracuse currently doesn’t have a forward on its 2026 roster who has scored a goal for the Orange. Blouin, who committed to Syracuse in October 2024, could be SU’s spark early in her U.S. collegiate career.
Madilyn Wright, Midfielder, Georgia
Prep Soccer’s national soccer analyst J.R. Eskilson said Madilyn Wright was a “different level of a player” and “easily one of the best in the class” when he saw her play in March 2023.
Four months after Eskilson watched her play, Wright helped lead her club team, Tophat, to the 2023 U15 Girls Academy Championship. She’s also been invited to four USYNT ID camps and committed to Syracuse on Oct. 29, 2024.
Wright, who sits deeper in the midfield, is tidy on the ball and provides a scoring threat, which Syracuse’s midfield lacked besides Rauch.
Ella Burkholder, Defender, New Jersey
Jasmine Nixon, Bree Bridges and Natalie Magnotta started every game in Syracuse’s back three and were some of the few bright spots for the Orange this season.
“We have a pretty young backline. They didn’t really have any experience coming into the season,” Vanderbosch said a day after Syracuse’s win over Miami. “Nothing really prepares you for ACC play. I think they were able to sink into ACC play and realize that it’s not a nonconference game or a top-25 opponent.”
SU’s main problem entering 2026 is depth. No other Syracuse central defender played more than 200 minutes in 2025. Aleena Ulke and Cierra Collins, who played a combined 242 minutes in 2025, are both graduating. Immaculate Heart Academy and World Class FC’s Ella Burkholder could provide much-needed cover for Adams.
Burkholder committed to Syracuse in January and has been a crucial part of an IHA team that’s reached the NJSIAA Non-Public A Tournament final in three consecutive seasons, winning one.
Sarah Weisberg, Midfielder, Florida
While Christy reclassified to play a year later, Sarah Weisberg is leaving Creekside High School early to join the Orange in 2026. In two years with the Knights, Weisberg totaled 13 goals and 14 assists.
Weisberg announced in early August that she was reclassifying to join the 2026 class. The junior will come to SU next summer, while the rest of the class will arrive in January. Weisberg has made appearances for Sporting Jax Soccer Academy’s USL W League and Gainbridge Super League squads this past summer. She can feature at midfield and forward, providing Adams with versatility, experience and quality.
