Alex Mellion
Journal Staff
The Suffolk women’s soccer team recently wrapped up their most successful season in school history, finishing 13-4-1, in addition to a 10-2 record in the GNAC conference, which earned them the GNAC regular season championship and a berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference [ECAC] Division III New England Tournament.
After a 4-0 loss to Lassell on September 11, the Lady Rams won 12 of their last 13 regular season games, and outscored their opponents by the remarkable margin of 62-14. Their GNAC tournament bid came to an abrupt end however, with a 3-1 Halloween night loss to Emmanuel. The team secured a bid in the ECAC tournament shortly thereafter, but was eliminated with a 2-0 loss to Endicott on November 10.
The Lady Rams’ top two goal scorers this season were freshmen: Taylor Miranda, who had 21, and GNAC Rookie of the Year, Gabrielle Balestrier, who had 15. Junior captain Leslie Hayden was third in the team with 14 goals, and went over 50 career goals in the last game of the regular season. Senior captain Emma Joyce allowed just 23 goals in 18 games played, and had a goals against average of 1.26. She saved 109 of 132 shots, which was good for a .826 save percentage.
The fact that 66 of the team’s 67 total goals were scored by freshmen, sophomores and juniors bodes well for the team in the long run.
The team is graduating five of its seniors, and the biggest loss for the Lady Rams next season will be that of Emma Joyce. Hayden, Balestrier, Miranda, as well as freshmen Meghan McHale [11 assists, and fifth on the team with 13 points] and Monica Wolf [7 goals, 7 assists and fourth on the team with 21 points] will all be back. These players will look to lead the team to another GNAC regular season championship.
The sky is the limit with the youthful Lady Rams, and there is no telling just how many championships—GNAC and ECAC—the team will contend for in the coming years.
