The Lady Rams’ soccer team, led by senior captains Alex Nagri and Jen Martin, are halfway through the season and plan to finish stronger than the previous chase for the title. In 2016, the Lady Rams made it to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament semifinals before falling to Albertus Magnus Academy in heart-breaking fashion: losing in double overtime to end the season.
The Lady Rams immediately struggled out of the gate by losing half of the games the team competed in. The team averaged 1.6 goals per game, while giving up an average of 2.4 goals per game. However, the team will have seven games remaining, meaning there is still much to be said for this season. One potential season-changing game occurred on Sept. 27, when the Lady Rams finally defeated Lasell College for the first time in the program’s history, topping the tough opponent 2-0 in stunning fashion.
Second-year captain and finance and accounting double major, Nagri, grabbed the GNAC Corvias Player of the Week on Monday after notching a three-goal game against Nowich University. Monday’s game ramped up her season total of goals to five on the year.
Captain and marketing and management double major, Martin, has found the back of the net on four occasions this season and has also assisted on four goals.
Nagri discussed how big the victory over Lasell was by noting that it was the Lady Rams’ goal to beat this team since her freshman year.
“They have been the most dominant team in our league for six or seven years so it was definitely a big deal when we came out on top,” said Nagri. “To finally do it as a senior was unbelievable.”
Head Coach Darren Lloyd chose the two senior Lady Rams as captains for this season as both players have been active members on the roster for four years. Now the captains will take on the role of leading the team by example, on and off the field, with a championship in mind.
“Playing with [Martin] and [Nagri] since freshman year and watching them develop and grow into the players and teammates they are today has been a great experience,” said senior midfielder Erika Nelson in an interview with The Journal. “I couldn’t ask for two better people to lead this team.”
Martin also regarded the recent victory over Lasell. Martin said, much like her co-captain, that going into her first year as a player it was the Lady Rams’ main goal to defeat the rival.
“We never [beat Lasell] until this season, my last season, and I couldn’t be any more proud of my teammates. It was a big moment for the whole team, but especially [for] us seniors,” said Martin in a recent interview with The Journal.
Martin said this win displayed a lot about the players and how they can compete with anyone.
“We needed this win to confirm to ourselves and the whole team that we are very skilled,” said Martin. “We just need to work hard and stay focused to keep winning.”
Junior defenseman Melissa Adamo has been playing alongside the current captains for three years. With a love for the game, she chose to work hard and play with her fellow teammates.
“I think the captains treat everyone with respect,” said Adamo in an interview with The Journal. “Returners and freshman are all held to the same standards. We all have high standards in believing that we all love the game.”
Nagri, not only a captain, but someone who is seen to lead by example as said by Adamo, has not lost faith in the team. Nagri explained that the Lady Rams had a rocky start to the season due to injuries and a low morale. Despite the odds, she said the Lasell game proved to everyone that the record does not show the Lady Rams potential.
“I definitely think we can feed off the huge Lasell victory and be a force to be reckoned with in the league this year,” said Nagri.
Martin, much like Nagri, explained how this win displayed a lot about themselves as players and how they are able to compete with anyone.
“We needed this win to confirm to ourselves and the whole team that we are very skilled,” said Martin. “We just need to work hard and stay focused to keep winning.”
Martin explained the largest aspect going forward this season will be to stay consistent when knocked down or far ahead of the competition.
“Over the years, we have been known to give up if another team scores a goal, or we start to not play as hard if we are ahead during a game,” explained Martin. “Our team needs to learn that playing hard for 90 minutes straight and never giving up is what makes a team win.”
Nagri continued to explain how she still has large expectations for this team.
“My goal this season is to make a run for the GNAC championship. We shocked some people last year and we did it again just this week, so we definitely have talent to do it,” said Nagri. “If we stay focused and play every game like it is our last, we can definitely make a competitive run for the championship.”
Nagri explained how since the Lady Rams finally beat Lasell, the team has had a target on its back. She continued by saying that since the team obtained this “target,” they now must battle until the final whistle, regardless of the opponent’s record and standing.
Both captains have strong faith in this team doing big things for the Lady Rams’ soccer program.
