Less than 24 hours after Cleveland State’s 2024-25 campaign came to a close with a loss at Buffalo in the WNIT semifinals, the offseason arrived in force, as graduate guard Filippa Goula announced her entry into the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon.
The former Greek national teamer joined the Vikings from Saint Francis for 2023-24, and mostly saw spot duty during her first year in Northeast Ohio, averaging just over six minutes per game.
However, this past season, she evolved into one of Chris Kielsmeier’s most reliable reserves, generally serving as the closest thing CSU had to a true sixth player. Her strengths were largely as a defender and a facilitator, though she jumped into the spotlight with a pair of crucial three-pointers, including the game-winner, in the Vikings’ WNIT Super 16 victory over Duquesne last Friday.
Goula’s contributions to the WNIT run also featured a 32-minute, five-assist performance in a second-round overtime victory over Coppin State. Her 13 points against Ohio Christian on January 25th were her single-game best at CSU, and she was also impressive in the team’s two contests at the Puerto Rico Clasico in December, including 13 total assists.
However, her playing time outlook for next year was far from certain, given the expected return of injured Colbi Maples, along with other members of what appears to be shaping up as an extremely deep backcourt.
“These past two years at Cleveland State have been an incredible journey,” Goula wrote in a social media statement. “I’m beyond grateful for the coaches, my teammates, and everyone who has supported me along the way. Thank you for believing in me, pushing me to grow, and giving me a place to call home.”
Prior to her run with the Vikings, the exercise science student spent the 2022-23 season with SFU, where she was an every-game starter who led the Red Flash in assists, while also averaging seven points per game. The team was only 7-22 overall, but Goula’s late-game heroics – including a three-pointer against Central Connecticut State and a last-second steal against Stonehill – directly led to two of them.
She began her collegiate career at Northeastern Junior College where, as a sophomore, she led the team with 16.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Goula was nearly as good as a freshman, with 13.8, 4.4, and 2.8, respectively.
Those seasons at the Colorado-based two-year school are, essentially, why Goula has one year of eligibility remaining.
Thanks to a lawsuit by former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and a subsequent wavier granted by the NCAA in January, student-athletes who previously competed at a non-NCAA school and would have otherwise seen their careers end after the 2024-25 season were given an additional year, 2025-26.
Previously, Goula’s two juco seasons, along with her three at the NCAA Division I level, would have exhausted her eligibility.
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