Box Score Boston, Mass. - The Emmanuel Saints women's soccer team's 2026 season came to an end at Clemente Field Saturday after falling to the Norwich Cadets in penalty kicks, 0-0 (3-0 in penalties), in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals.

The Saints, ranked the #3 seed in the tournament, suffered their first loss to a conference opponent this season, even though it took the #6 seeded Cadets extra time to earn the victory. The loss ends the Saints season at a 9-5-5 overall record (9-0-4 GNAC), while the Cadets improve to 11-5-2 overall (6-5-2 GNAC) and advance to the GNAC semifinals where they will face the Rivier Raiders on Tuesday.

The Saints controlled a majority of the possession, shooting the ball 24 times to the Cadets three with 12 of those shots being on target. Junior midfielder, Cameryn Hickey, led the Saints with five shots, having multiple scoring chances. Senior defender, Ciara Horan, had four shots and senior midfielder, Paige Letourneau, and sophomore midfielder Carla Andreu Panighi both had three shots, completing a tough Saints offense to stop.

However, the Cadets answered the call. Cadets goalkeeper, Sophie Olivo, was the star of the match as she made 12 saves, including crucial stops during penalties. Olivo was the focal point of a Cadets defense that refused to quit and stopped the Saints at every turn, forcing overtime and the penalty kick shootout.

It was a heartbreaking loss to end was was a great season for the Saints. Now the Saints look ahead to the 2027 season which will start next fall.