The ETSU’s women’s soccer team has been waiting more than a week to kick off its first regular-season home match, after heavy rains doused the originally scheduled fixture due to field conditions.
Natalie Cappanelli has been waiting quite a bit longer.
After missing all of the 2025 campaign due to an injury suffered in preseason training, when Cappanelli steps onto the pitch at Summers-Taylor Stadium for Thursday’s match against West Georgia, she’ll be doing so for the first time in 658 days.
It was the most significant physical setback Cappanelli had ever encountered in her soccer career, which, like many athletes playing the beautiful game at the collegiate level, began when she was small.
“When you’re sitting on the sideline for a season, it really changes your perspective about what it means to be on the field. I’m just coming into it with a really happy and grateful mindset,” Cappanelli said prior to practice on Wednesday.
The injury not only sidelined Cappanelli, a native of the Ontario province in Canada, but it forced her to use crutches for three months.
“It was a challenge for sure,” she said. “Trying to stay sharp coming back and reminding myself that my pre-injury player might not be who I am today, but what can I bring to the field right now? What does the team need from me and how can I show up for everyone? As opposed to comparing myself to who I was before the injury.
“That shift has been really big but I think it’s made me stronger.”
Cappanelli started in the midfield and logged a 73-minute shift in what proved to be the 2026 opener, a 4-0 loss on Sunday to a Vanderbilt team ranked fifth in the nation by both TopDrawerSoccer and the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
“The first half we were really solid defensively and we were also really composed when we would win the ball,” said Cappanelli, one of the team captains for ETSU along with Ella Parker and Molly Cason. “We showed ourselves we can compete against really strong teams. Going against No. 5 in the nation, it’s a really good place to start because I think it sets the tone for the rest of the season to carry that intensity forward.”
It also means ETSU (0-0-1) heads into the match against West Georgia (0-1-1) tonight still seeking its first goal of the 2026 season. Georgia Shields certainly wouldn’t mind being the individual to deliver that moment. The ETSU junior is playing on the wing this August after spending the 2025 season starting every fixture at left back.
“Left back last year was really fun. I’ve played all over the field here now. Hopefully left wing will be rewarding for me,” Shields said. “In high school I was the top goal scorer for my team. Hopefully I can add some tallies to that sheet for me this upcoming season.”
Having last Wednesday’s match with North Alabama canceled due to field conditions wasn’t ideal for anyone with the ETSU program. If anything, it’s built the anticipation for this match.
“Summers-Taylor stadium has such a great atmosphere,” Shields said. “We always get a great turnout, especially with parents. And I think today was move-in day so hopefully we have some students show out to the game. I think we’re all really excited to finally kick off at home in a regular season game.”
Especially when you missed that opportunity for 658 days.
“The suspense leading up to it has been really big,” Cappanelli said, adding, “We’ve got some great energy coming into it for sure.”
ETSU also is trying to extend a home unbeaten streak that encompassed all of the 2025 season and dates back to a 2-2 draw against Samford back on Oct. 20, 2024.
If you think the Bucs aren’t thinking about extending that streak, think again.
“I mean it’s everything; we pride ourselves on being a really good defensive team. A team that is not easily scored on and is really tight defensively,” Cappanelli said. “I think that is a big part of our identity and something we definitely want to carry forward into this season as well.”