Women's Soccer
Maria Castaldo - Women's Soccer - University of Kentucky Athletics 35

MariaCastaldo

  • position Defender
  • height 5-5
  • class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Orland Park, Ill.
  • High school Marist High School
  • Previous School UT Martin
  • Major MS Marketing

2023 (Graduate-Student): 

  • Played in 14 matches on the season, totaling 263 minutes
  • Recorded assists vs. UT Martin and Belmont
  • Played a season-high 57 minutes vs. Illinois
  • Had two shots on goal for the season, testing the keeper vs. EKU and Illinois

From UT Martin – 

Awards and Honors

  • Two-time All-OVC First Team selection (2019, 2020-21)
  • 2019 OVC All-Newcomer team
  • OVC Defensive Player of the Week (9/28/21)
  • OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2019-20, 2020-21)
  • Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021)

2022: Played and started in one match for the Skyhawks…Suffered a season-ending injury in the season-opener against Kentucky (Aug. 21).

2021: Started all 18 matches in route to OVC Regular Season Championship…Tallied her first two assists at UTM vs. Wright State (September 5) and in OVC opener at Austin Peay (September 26), the game’s only score…Named OVC Defensive Player of the Week (September 28)…Produced 10 shots, seven of which were on-goal…Part of a defense that surrendered a conference-low 16 goals (0.89 per game)…Played 1,621 minutes at the back line of the UTM defense.

2020-21: Named to All-OVC first team…Played and started in all 11 matches for the Skyhawks…Scored zero points…Tallied four shot attempts while placing two on goal…Helped anchor the Skyhawk defense to four shutouts…Played 1,015 minutes while playing every minute of eight contests, including a season-high 110 minutes against Jacksonville State (March 23)…Tallied 0.36 shots per game…Named to OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll…Named to Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for both the fall and spring semesters.

2019: Named to All-OVC first team…Tabbed to OVC All-Newcomer squad…Played in all 19 matches for the Skyhawks while earning 17 starts…Started in the final 15 games of the season…Helped anchor a defensive line which recorded five shutouts…Played 1,639 minutes while seeing action in every minute in 13 contests…Scored zero points…Tallied 13 shot attempts while placing seven on goals…Named to OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll…Named to Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for both the fall and spring semesters.

Before UTM: Graduated from Marist High School…Played with the prestigious Chicago Inter Soccer Club for the last two seasons, as that squad ranked as high as fourth in the state of Illinois in 2018.

Personal: Born on Aug. 22, 2001…Daughter of Roger and Diedre Castaldo…Has three older siblings, Amanda, Tina and Paul…Majoring in business.

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