Hall of Fame
Diana Lopez was a two-sport athlete for the Panthers in soccer and lacrosse. The Farmingville, N.Y. native was a standout athlete at Sachem North High School where she earned All-League, All-County and All-Conference kudos before making her mark on the Adelphi record books upon arriving on campus in the fall of 2003.
A four-year member of the women’s soccer team, Lopez helped guide the Panthers to a 60-12-10 overall record in four seasons while recording an impressive 37-11-3 East Coast Conference record. At defense, she playing in 74 games while starting in 66 of them; she was a part of a formidable back line that allowed just 39 goals including a mere seven in the 2003 season.
During this time, the team earned berths to the NCAA Tournament on three occasions, claimed the Northeast Regional title twice and was the national runner-up in 2004. Her contributions on the back line that season allowed the Panthers to enjoy their most successful season to date; they notched 20 wins to set the school record which has yet to be broken.
In 2006, Lopez and the Panthers captured the ECC Tournament over the University of Bridgeport on penalty kicks (5-4) and earned their 12th win of the season in the process. Post season accolades in the form of Second Team All-ECC as well as CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-District for earning outstanding grades in the classroom.
Lopez also found success on the lacrosse field. She helped Adelphi set the stage for national dominance over the years with a four-year combined record of 56-6. Her career stats include starting in 59 games while seeing action in 62 of them. She scored 136 goals, 104 assists and 240 points. Her milestones included being a part of the first two National Championships in the history of the sport at Adelphi in 2004 and 2006 while earning a spot in the final four in 2005.
At attack, she etched her name in the record books in four all-time categories at the time of her induction. She sat sixth in career points (240), eighth in points per game (3.87), eighth in goals scored (136) and fifth in assists (104). Additionally, she appeared twice in the single-season assists category with a mark of 32, which she achieved in 2005 and 2007.
She was a two-time ECC First Team All-Conference honoree, earned four IWLCA All-Region recognitions (one first team, three second team), was named a Second Team IWLCA All-American three times, was named to the 2006 NCAA All-Tournament team, earned ECC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2007 and was recognized by womenslacrosse.com with DII Rookie Team status.
She is a physical education teacher in the Hauppauge School District and coached the girls’ lacrosse team to a Suffolk County title in 2011, while producing three All-Americans. She is married to Ryan Soltan, a former standout cross country and track and field runner for Adelphi. They currently make their home in Holbrook, N.Y. with their dog Gloria.
