A Standout Transfer
Ali Howard arrives in Syracuse with a résumé that reads like a catalog of accolades. The 5‑7 forward earned Division II‑AA all‑state honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and the Tennessee High School Soccer Coaches Association during her sophomore and junior seasons, and she was repeatedly recognized on the Commercial Appeal and Daily Memphian First Team All‑Metro squads from 2022 through 2024. Her senior year culminated in a 18‑goal, six‑assist campaign that helped the Saints reach the Division II‑AA quarterfinals, a performance that also earned her the Briarcrest Christian offensive most valuable player award for three consecutive years.
Beyond the pitch, Howard distinguished herself academically, serving in the National Honor Society and maintaining a spot on the Academic Honor Roll. She initially enrolled at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2024, where she redshirted as a freshman before deciding to pursue her remaining eligibility at Syracuse. In May 2025, she accepted a written offer of athletic aid, officially committing to the Orange and joining a program that has been actively reshaping its women's soccer roster.
A Roster Rebuilt
Howard is not the only newcomer expected to make an impact. The Orange have secured commitments from a wave of transfer students, including Vickie Jones, Chloe Joseph, Maggie Manning, Kendall Mesh, Maya Naimoli, Farrah Stephens‑Martin, and Emery Streets, as well as a group of freshmen such as Océane Blouin, Lauren Christy, Irelyn Fay, Lindsay Parker, Sarah Weisberg, and Madilyn Wright. The influx of talent signals a deliberate effort by the coaching staff to deepen depth, increase competition for starting positions, and restore the program to a place among the nation’s elite.
The strategic recruitment extends beyond Syracuse, with other universities also benefiting from the same talent pool. Institutions ranging from the University of Michigan and Oklahoma State University to Youngstown State and Kansas State have all announced incoming players, underscoring a broader trend of elite high school prospects seeking programs that can offer both academic rigor and competitive soccer environments. For Syracuse, the challenge now is to integrate this talent into a cohesive unit that can contend for conference titles and make deep runs in the NCAA tournament.
Program Ambitions
Syracuse’s women’s soccer program has historically balanced competitive spirit with academic excellence, a combination that has attracted student‑athletes who excel both on the field and in the classroom. With the arrival of Howard and her peers, the coaching staff envisions a future where the Orange can challenge for top positions in the Atlantic Coast Conference and secure berths in the NCAA tournament. The narrative surrounding the team is shifting from rebuilding to reasserting itself as a perennial contender, a transformation that hinges on the ability to blend seasoned transfers with emerging freshmen into a unified, defensively solid, and offensively dynamic squad.