Two years ago the Suffolk University women’s soccer team reached the GNAC final where they lost 2-1 to a very strong Lasell College team. The Lady Rams were ranked as one of the best offensive Division III teams in the nation and were scoring goals like it was the easiest thing. These glory days have been replaced by a tough reality. Last year, squad posted a below .500 6-11 record and has been struggling so far this year as well. So far the team is 0-4 and still fighting to get its first win of the season. Before the Lady Rams had star players such as Leslie Hayden and Taylor Miranda carrying the team, but now both have graduated and times have changed. The conference has become tougher and it seems like Lasell are the favorites again this year. In order to get back on their feet, Suffolk must improve their defensive abilities. Too many goals are being scored on them these days. Another concerning factor is the fact that the ladies have not scored a single goal in four games. This shows that the offensive abilities must be improved as well. It is extremely important that experienced players Gabrielle Balestrier and Monica Wolf show character and lead the way for the younger players this year. Suffolk’s next game is against Emerson and that might just be the game to turn things around. After all, the first four games of the season do not define a season in any way and the early results seem to be a motivational factor for the Lady Rams.

Head coach Earnst Cleophat believes in his players 100 percent and is positive that things will turn around for the Rams. “It’s been difficult since the graduation of Leslie Hayden. We need that striker who can score that deciding goal. So we are definitely missing a dangerous striker and our biggest problem this year is the depth of the team. There is great talent in the team, but we need more goals” said Cleophat who now enters his sixth season as the head of the women’s soccer team at Suffolk, creating the program back in 2007. Based on the amount of talent of this team, the expectations are high this year. It is no secret that the goal is to win the GNAC championship and get a bid in the NCAA Division III national tournament. As the head coach said, a great striker could change things around for his squad. A striker who can score goals is always important for the team. It is not a coincidence that the manager of Arsenal football club in England ,Arsené Wenger once said: “The best form of defense is attack.” Those are words of wisdom and it looks like Suffolk might have found those words to be true when it comes to the new striker Erica Tavares, who just joined the team. Tavares could be a key to unlock the door to all the goals that the Rams need. As long as the Lady Rams can score goals, it does not matter if they are conceding some in their own net. This is exactly why the best defense is to score as many goals against the opponent as possible. Not only it is a great strategy, but it is also the way entertaining soccer should be played. Attacking soccer with many goals is always much more entertaining than goal-less defensive soccer. Suffolk wants to play the entertaining and attacking goal scoring way. The next conference game for women’s soccer is on Saturday, Sept. 21 against a Simmons College team that looks very strong. This match is extremely important since it is a conference bout and the ladies have to be fully prepared for a tough fight. Despite the statistics, the confidence is high and the Lady Rams believe in capturing a GNAC playoffs spot at the end of the season. The main thing is to keep fighting and not be discouraged by the early string of losses.