The seeds are planted - Ivy preseason report!

In 2024, the Richmond Ivy ended its first season by accomplishing every goal it set for itself, except making a playoff appearance. Last season, the Ivy finished with 6 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses, earning 1.58 points per game. Off the field, the Ivy averaged 4.8k fans per match, which is more than some USL Championship teams. In fact, on average the team outdrew every single team in USL League One, including the Richmond Kickers (4.5k). Everyone watches women’s sports!

Photo credit: Richard Hayes

As the team gets ready for season two in the River City, they’ll be navigating a few big changes. USL W League released a new divisional alignment, and the Ivy will be playing in the newly formed Chesapeake division. Even more importantly, in March, the team announced the departures of Head Coach Kimmy Cummings and Goalkeeping Coach Amanda Forester. 

With these changes in mind, Sporting Director Madeline McCracken and newly hired Head Coach Owusu Sekyere will look to return key impact players, strengthen the roster, and get the squad into the postseason for the first time. 

A few key players to note:

• GK Lauren Hargrove, coming off a landmark season at Virginia Tech
• MF Kiley Fitzgerald, who started all 12 matches last season
• MF Sarah Flammia, the unexpected breakout star of the Ivy midfield
• F Olivia Woodson, a new addition coming in as Auburn’s top goalscorer in 2024

Goalkeepers

LAUREN HARGROVE - Virginia Tech (Senior)

The Ivy kicked off the 2025 offseason by announcing the return of Lauren Hargrove, the team’s primary shot-stopper. During her senior season at Virginia Tech, she twice won Defensive Player of the Week, recorded 13 wins (the most in a single season since 2015), and had a stretch in which she only conceded one goal in six games. Last season, Hargrove was a stable force for a backline that had some gelling to do. All the signs point to her strong senior season setting her up to lead the 2025 edition of the Ivy to success. 

LOGAN MARKS - Oklahoma State University (Freshman)

When the 2024 Ivy season began, Marks had only made brief appearances during the spring exhibition season with her collegiate team as a spring early enrollee. She made only two appearances for the Ivy, seeing out the final few minutes in the Ivy’s 1-0 away win at Charlottesville, and coming in at halftime in the Ivy’s 8-0 home win over Patuxent. With her freshman season now under her belt, we may see her spend more time for the Ivy in net as she continues to develop. 

DEFENDERS

MAYSEN NELSON - Center Back  - Virginia Tech (Junior)

Maysen Nelson was the first defender announced as returning to the Ivy, a right-sided center back who started seven matches in 2024, including many of the Ivy’s most competitive matches. This collegiate season, Nelson built on her defensive game, earning eight starts and scoring her first collegiate goal in a 2-0 win over Ella Stanley’s James Madison University. Hopefully, the chemistry she and Hargrove built in 2024 in Richmond and Blacksburg will also translate to the upcoming Ivy season!

ELLA STANLEY - Defender/Midfielder - James Madison University (Sophomore)

A key squad player for Coach Cummings, Stanley played a few roles along the backline during the Ivy season. In her sophomore season at JMU, Stanley started two-thirds of the team’s matches in their conference-winning season, contributing to seven clean sheets. We look forward to Stanley bringing the mentality and confidence from contributing to a title-winning run to the 2025 Ivy campaign!

KENLEY CAMPBELL - Left Back - William and Mary (Freshman)

A regular starter for the Ivy in 2024, Campbell built on that momentum entering her freshman year at William and Mary, quickly establishing herself as a starter for a Tribe backline that earned seven clean sheets. She also added attacking output to her game, taking ten shots (five on target), and scoring her first collegiate goal in a 6-0 win against Temple. We’re excited to see how Campbell raises her game after a full season of collegiate soccer.

AVA PUSTOVER - Right Back - VCU (Junior)

Pustover returns to the 2025 Ivy squad with a point to prove, after playing less than 300 minutes for VCU in her junior season. She had an impressive season with the Ivy in 2024, starting all but one match, and helping the team earn five clean sheets. She also added two assists, including for the crucial equalizer in the team’s 1-1 draw away at Christos. She built strong chemistry on the right side of the backline with Maysen Nelson - we hope to see that chemistry pick up again when the season kicks off.  

Bekah Doolittle - Lipscomb University (Junior)

The second new addition to the Ivy this season, Doolittle is a Richmond United product coming back to Richmond for the summer. She joins the squad coming off a solid collegiate season, starting all 15 of Lipscomb’s matches and helping earn nine clean sheets on their way to winning their conference. We look forward to seeing how Doolittle fits into the Ivy’s defensive setup!

Walker Bristow - Defender/Midfielder - App State (Freshman)

Like several members of the Ivy squad, Bristow was gearing up for her first collegiate season in summer 2024. She made four appearances and helped see out the clean sheet in the crucial 2-0 home win over eventual division winners Eagle FC. That led her to making 17 substitute appearances in the midfield in her freshman season at App State, including bagging her first collegiate goal in a 4-1 win over Troy University. She showed a willingness to shoot, with 14 shots recorded in just over 450 minutes of play. Her versatility will be useful as Coach Sekyere builds his 2025 team! 

MIDFIELDERS

KILEY FITZGERALD - Central Midfielder - University of Richmond (Junior)

We're excited to welcome back Kiley Fitzgerald, one of the club’s captains who had the joint-most starts for the Ivy last season! This season, the University of Richmond midfielder played in all 17 games for the Spiders, recorded her first collegiate goal, and finished with a quarter of the team’s total goals scored with three. The Ivy captain was a stand-out performer last season, controlling games with her possession and passing in tight spots. It's great see Fitzgerald back - she will be a consistent, dependable presence as this team builds its new identity. 

SARAH FLAMMIA - Central Midfielder - University of Virginia (Freshman)

The breakout star of the 2024 Richmond Ivy, high schooler Flammia came into the team slightly in the shadow of her older sister Jill, whose injury before the season opened the door for Sarah to seize a starting spot. She quickly became an indispensable part of the midfield with her quality first touch and expansive passing. Sarah will be looking to sharpen her game this summer ahead of her sophomore season at UVA, where she made three appearances this fall. We can’t wait to see what an additional year of training and experience has done.

MACI LANDEL - University of Mary Washington (Sophomore)

One of the youngest members of the inaugural Ivy squad, Landel now has two collegiate seasons under her belt, becoming a consistent starter at the University of Mary Washington. She took two penalties, converting one, and assisted six times in the 2024 season. We look forward to Landel rejoining the team having added consistent assists to her arsenal - a gap in the team, with no player recording more than three last Ivy season, and only Berry recording a comparable number in the 2024 collegiate season from the current group of returners.  

Iisa Elovaara - UCF (Redshirt freshman)

High schooler Elovaara showed her versatility during a tricky stretch of the season for player availability, starting several times at center back despite typically playing as a midfielder, and helping the team earn several clean sheets. She also picked up an assist against Putuxent, showing her ability to contribute offensively as well. Daughter of RU Technical Director Mika Elovaara, he also shared that she chose Big 12 UCF’s competitive program out of several options for her collegiate career to push herself. While she may not have seen action in the fall, choosing to redshirt, we’re excited to see what a year of training with UCF has done for her game.

FORWARDS

TAYLOR BERRY - Youngstown State (Junior)

Berry maintained her reliable offensive output in her junior season at Youngstown State, starting all 18 games and earning two goals and five assists. Berry was a driving force for the Ivy last season, recording three goals and two assists (including one key game winner away at Charlottesville), and is expected to keep it going. With her continued development this fall, she will be a player to watch this upcoming season.

OLIVIA WOODSON - Auburn (Sophomore)

So far the Ivy’s most exciting new commitment on paper, Woodson will bring a proven goal scoring record in one of the country’s most competitive conferences to the Ivy front line. She exploded her sophomore season, taking nearly 50 shots (and putting almost half on target), becoming the leading goal-scorer for Auburn's most productive offense in over twenty years. She finished the season with 14 goal involvements, including two game winners, and was voted Second Team All-SEC. She was the first Auburn woman in eight seasons to finish the year in double-digit scoring figures. We’re so excited to see Olivia put her talents to use at City Stadium!

All photos by Richard Hayes.