LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's soccer program rounded out its incoming class ahead of the 2026 season with the addition of four newcomers, as announced by Head Coach
Mira Novak on Monday.
Hannah Callaghan (Sydney, Australia),
Claire Ormonde (Oshawa, Ontario),
Ines Pietikainen (Espoo, Finland) and
Briana Thomas (Burlington, Mass.) join the River Hawks to complete the 2026 class along with
Elsa Freeman,
Silje McGee and Märta Sundberg, who
joined the River Hawks ahead of the spring season.
After winning back-to-back U23 National Premier League Championships with Sydney University, Callaghan brings her goalkeeping experience to UMass Lowell. She won the championship in both her junior and senior years of high school, joining Sydney Uni after locking down opposing offenses with the Football New South Wales Institute for two years. Callaghan won a title at the Football NSW Institute GYL U16 Premiers as a freshman, and her team qualified for the GYL U18 Premiers in her sophomore season.
"Hannah is a player who will challenge our whole goalkeeping group to keep performance levels high," Novak said. "Her greatest strength is her ability to distribute the ball. Hannah is an absolutely fearless, amazing team player and I know she'll only get better the more time she spends training with James."
Ormonde heads to the Mill City after a decorated high school career. The midfielder played with Pickering FC, also attending Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic School and serving as the captain of the team there. As an integral part of Pickering FC, Ormonde guided the team to two straight Ontario Player Development League Championships as a junior and senior, winning Nationals with the team in her last year. Ormonde was named to the Provincial Team multiple times and was a four-time member of the academic honor roll.
"Claire is a player who's coming to us with a high pedigree, competing at the highest level of club soccer in Canada," Novak said. "We'll utilize her as a midfielder who can also drop into the back line and build an attack, but she's an offensive threat in the final third as well. I can't wait to witness Claire's impact on the team on and off the field, not just this year but across her whole career at UMass Lowell."
Thomas joins the team after playing for Burlington High School just a few miles down the road. The defender won the 2026 Outstanding Female Athlete Award at Burlington, also earning an EMass All-State distinction as a senior. She was named a Middlesex League All-Star for three straight seasons. In addition to her high school honors, Thomas played for the NEFC GA club team.
"Briana is a local North Shore player who has displayed great potential throughout her youth career," Novak said. "She's a solid defender who can be utilized in the wide areas and shut down opposing offensive threats. She also loves to get forward and provide support at the back. I look forward to helping her grow throughout her time at UMass Lowell."
Pietikainen becomes a River Hawk after playing in Finland. The forward was a part of HJK Helsinki, one of the top academies in the country. Additionally, Pietikainen was a crucial part of the offense for the Finnish U19 national team as a senior and the U18 national team as a junior. She traveled to Turkey with the U18 team, guiding them to a silver medal at the UEFA Friendship Cup.
"Ines is an attacking threat that grew up in one of the best academies in Finland," Novak said. "We're very excited about what she can provide in the attacking third both on and off the ball. She's a player who can press relentlessly, but somebody who's really dangerous with the ball at her feet and can score some goals. I'm excited about Ines because I think her ceiling as a player is high."
The freshman class is set to start its journey alongside the rest of the River Hawks on August 12 as the regular season kicks off at Providence. The opening match will be at 6:30 p.m. UMass Lowell then starts its home slate on August 16 at 7 p.m. against Fairfield.
