BOSTON – The Boston University women's soccer program has revealed its captains and leadership council for the 2024 season, Head Coach Casey Brown (COM'10) announced on Friday afternoon.
 
Seniors Celia Braun, Lily Matthews, and Eileen Solomon will serve as tri-captains for the upcoming year, and will make up three of the seven Terriers on the leadership council. Joining them in that group are rising seniors Morgan Fagan and Allison Hanlon, as well as rising juniors Giulianna Gianino and Margy Porta.
 
"We are extremely excited to announce our formal leadership for the upcoming year," said Brown. "There has been so much growth that has happened over the past semester with our leadership, individually and collectively, that we feel really empowered by the strength of our structure going forward.
 
"Lily, Celia and Eileen are fantastic representatives for our program as captains and are fully invested in guiding this program to a successful season ahead," Brown continued. "We are also thrilled to add a leadership council made up of our captains, along with Morgan, Alli, Giulianna and Margy. These four individuals plus the addition of our captains not only strengths the depth of our leadership, but also creates a unified collective fully equipped to raise the standards and success of our program on and off the field.
 
"The staff and team have full confidence in both the captains and entire leadership council and are really excited for all that is ahead."
 
Matthews will be a team captain for the second-straight year as she returns to BU for her fifth season. Braun and Solomon will be captains for the first time in their collegiate careers.
 
A NEWISA Division I Senior Bowl invitee in 2023, Matthews started all 19 of her appearances a season ago, tallying one goal and four assists. She scored in the Terriers' 3-2 home triumph over UAlbany on Aug. 27, then became the fourth student-athlete in program history to record three assists in a game in BU's 4-0 win over American on Oct. 21. Matthews is a two-time All-Patriot League selection during her time at Nickerson Field.
 
Braun comes off a career year where she made 20 appearances between the posts, garnering Third Team All-Patriot League and All-Tournament Team honors. She registered a .727 save percentage and 1.48 goals-against average in 2023, with her 80 saves that year ranking fifth-most by a BU goalkeeper in the record books. In addition, Braun will enter her senior year top-five in program history with 151 career saves.
 
Solomon started all 16 games in her junior year, totaling nearly 1,300 minutes on the pitch. She finished the campaign with two assists, notching the first of her career on the game-deciding goal against Colgate on Sept. 20 and another on an equalizer at Bucknell on Oct. 14. In the last two seasons, Solomon has started 34 out of her 35 games played.
 
Fagan, who was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team ahead of last season, was selected Third Team All-Patriot League and All-Academic Team. Starting all 20 of her appearances, she finished the slate with four goals and two assists for 10 points. She registered her first-career brace at Bucknell on Oct. 14. Throughout her three-year career, Fagan has recorded 13 goals and eight assists across 60 games.
 
Gianino enters 2024 after leading the Terriers with seven goals, five assists, and 19 points last season. She earned spots on the First Team All-Patriot League and All-Tournament Team, delivering two game-winning goals while finishing a perfect 3-for-3 on penalty kicks. Having started in all 40 of her career appearances, Gianino has tallied 10 goals and five assists on 89 shots as a Terrier.
 
Hanlon set personal-bests with 14 games played and 406 minutes in 2023. She found a spot in the starting XI for the first time since Oct. 1, 2021 on Aug. 20 at UConn, and went on to make three starts on the year. Overall, Hanlon has played in 29 collegiate matches.
 
Porta finished 2023 with three goals in 18 games off the bench, as six of her 12 shots were on target. Her first-career goal came at Bucknell on Oct. 14, starting a span where she scored all three of her goals in the final four regular season contests. In her first two seasons, Porta has racked up eight career points.
 
BU will have 22 letterwinners from last season's squad, which finished with 14 points on a 4-3-2 Patriot League record and advanced to the Patriot League semifinal round. In two seasons under Brown, the Terriers have registered 18 wins with a .611 winning percentage against Patriot League foes.