SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – With 21 returning players and eight starters, the Western New England College women’s soccer team hopes to battle for The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) title in 2010.
This will be the final season the Golden Bears compete in the league. Next year WNEC will compete in the newly created New England Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Western New England College got off to a slow start last year dropping five of its first six matches before turning things around in a hurry. Coach
Ron Dias’ squad used a strong late season surge to finish with a 10-9-2 record and sixth in the conference with a 7-5-1 mark.
Earning the sixth seed in the conference tournament, Western New England College advanced past Roger Williams (2-2, 4-3 in penalty kicks) and Wentworth (2-0) before Endicott posted a 3-1 win in the title contest.
The Golden Bears lost two-time All-New England goalie
Jessica Covino (Bristol, CT), All-TCCC defender
Kristen Culver (Westhampton, MA), and midfield
Angie Zguro (East Longmeadow, MA) via graduation, but return their top four scorers.
Heading the list is three-time All-Conference senior forward
Heather Mortell (Webster, MA) who led the team in scoring for the third straight season with 25 points (9 goals, 7 assists), including three game-winners. Mortell (77 career points) was the WNEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year.
Junior midfielder
Andrea Almeida (Newington, CT) contributed 14 points (6-2) and was selected the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Senior midfielder
Shannon Pescatello (Wethersfield, CT) added nine points (2-5) and a pair of game winning shots while junior midfielder
Krista Gangloff (Newington, CT) chipped-in with three goals and a game-winner.
Western New England College has one of the top defenders in the region in All-New England senior
Nicole Poli (Medfield, MA). She also is a two-time All-TCCC performer.
Two seniors to watch are defender/forward
Corinne Alexinas (Massapequa Park, NY) and midfielder
Elyse Gauvin (Swansea, MA).
Gauvin, Mortell, Poli, and Pescatello will serve as the team captain.
There is strong competition for the starter keeper position with senior
Marti Blum (Huntington Valley, PA), and freshmen
Kayla Prout (Holyoke, MA) and
Victoria Trezise (Islip, NY) the top candidates entering pre-season drills.
“We have six special seniors on the team this year and a lot will be expected of them as well as our other returning players,” said Dias. “I believe we can challenge for the conference title and look forward to a competitive season.”
Western New England College opens its season with five consecutive home games beginning with the opener on Wednesday, September 1 against UMass-Boston.
“After a couple of slow starts the last two years, it will be important for us to get off to a good start,” Dias noted.