Matt West
Journal Staff
The Suffolk women’s soccer team is now officially done for the season, although they have very little to hang their heads about.
The team had a tremendous season, playing their final game in the ECAC tournament for the first time in the program’s young history.
Endicott College officially sent the Lady Rams packing, as they broke a scoreless tie with a pair of second-half goals to win, 2-0, in the Division III ECAC New England Tournament quarterfinals at Endicott Stadium this past Wednesday.
Senior goalkeeper Emily Joyce played tremendously in net, allowing only two goals while making 19 saves. The problem in this decisive match was the Rams’ inability to get anything going offensively.
All season long the Rams had very little trouble finding ways to put the ball in the net, but Endicott did a superb job in stymieing a well-rounded group. Suffolk could manage only six shots—four of which were on net— in the entire game.
Endicott also did a good job of controlling the field, seeing as they shot 11 corner kicks to Suffolk’s two. The seventh-ranked Rams played tough throughout, giving Endicott everything they had.
Although their season ended in the ECAC tournament, the team was further recognized this week for their work in the classroom. The team was recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with the Team Academic Award. This is also the third year in a row the team can lay claim to this prestigious award. The team’s cumulative grade point average of 3.02 has to make Head Coach Ernst Cleophat an extremely happy individual.
Because the Lady Rams had 11 underclassmen on the team this season they will have a lot to look forward to in the coming seasons. For such a young program, to be able to make it to the ECAC tournament is a special achievement. In addition, their final record of 13-4-1 will certainly help them battle in the tough Great Northeast Athletic Conference next season.
In all, the Lady Rams captured numerous awards, solidifying their impressive season with an exclamation point.
Freshman Taylor Miranda was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year. (The freshman also ranked 12th among all Division III players with an impressive 2.88 points per game average.)
Freshman Gabrielle Balestrier was named GNAC Rookie of the Year, finishing second on the team in goals with 15. She also had an impressive points per game average, ending the year at the 2.69 mark.
Freshman Monica Wolf earned first team All-Conference honors, and Junior Leslie Hayden was a second team All-Conference selection. Hayden also made a signifcant shift to midfielder. (Hayden finished the season with 14 goals and 17 assists, and will undoubtedly be the leader of this young team next season.)
