Gulls predicted to finish second in CCC Preseason Poll
August 26, 2011
2011 CCC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Endicott women's soccer team has been ranked second behind Roger Williams in a preseason poll conducted by the head coaches of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), as it was announced today by league commissioner Gregg M. Kaye.
Endicott (93) claimed three of 10 first place votes just behind defending conference champions Roger Williams (97), who took the other seven first place tallies. Behind the Gulls are Western New England (72), University of New England (71), Salve Regina (50), Nichols (47), Gordon (39), Curry (38), Wentworth (30) and Eastern Nazarene (13).
“It was disappointing in a lot of respects,” said seventh year head coach Jodi Kenyon of the 2010 season. “We have lofty goals and we don’t want to settle for second best.” The junior class especially wants to go back to NCAA’s after having been there in their first year then missing the experience last season.
The Gulls said goodbye to five graduating seniors last spring, three of whom were field starters. This year’s team includes nine players from each of the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes, and just two players in their final year. “We’ve got a lot of talent that’s untapped, but we also have a lot of leadership. We are solid in the back and we have a lot of players that can play many different positions,” said Kenyon.
For their offensive production, Endicott will look heavily towards one of those seniors, co-captain Colleen Pepin. Pepin scored 25 goals last year, including eight game winners, to lead the CCC in both categories. She also notched 8 assists last year and led the conference in points with 58. “She just has a knack for the goal. She can turn on a dime, she’s strong, she holds opponents off well, and she can score with both her left and right foot,” said Kenyon of the Fairhaven, Mass., native. “She puts herself in good scoring positions. She’s not going to beat anyone with speed, but she beats them with determination and fight.”
Endicott also hopes to get solid offensive contributions from junior Vanessa Caruccio, who scored four goals last season and sophomores Heather Moody and Nicole Fournier, who each netted twice and combined for four assists.
Junior Caitlin Peters leads an experienced defensive line that helped the Gulls keep their opponents scoreless eight times last season. Peters was a second team All-CCC selection and was also named to the NEWISA and NSCAA All-Region second teams. One of the best and most underrated players in the conference according to her coach, Peters can also get forward on attack, and is a solid and smart player. The Salem, N.H. native and co-captain will be joined in the back line by juniors Lauren Todd and Christine Silva and sophomore Sarah Person. Silva started all 25 games for the Gulls last season while Todd started 22 contests. Freshmen Hannah Schneidenbach and local athlete Clare Mansfield (Stoneham) are both strong defensive midfielders who could make a quick impact.
It was in the midfield that the Gulls saw their biggest loss to the graduation of four key contributors, including 12-goal scorer Kayla Corbett. The good news for Endicott is that they will get sophomore Lexi Dussi back from a knee injury sustained in her HS season that she had not completely recovered from last year. Chelsea Garlock, who contributed five goals and seven assists last year, will also be featured again in the middle of the pitch, while juniors Micaela Hogan and Kayla Leonardi will now be looked to for more leadership and production.
As a freshman and the only goalkeeper on the roster, Natalie Wyrsch played every game last year and consistently gave her team an opportunity to win games. Natalie allowed just 27 goals for a 1.05 goals against average and posted 8 shutouts. With a year of experience under her belt, Wyrsch is poised to have another big season, while freshman Katie Donnely will challenge for time between the pipes and give Natalie some rest.
The Gulls will play a very difficult schedule that will both serve as a measuring stick and help improve their regional ranking appeal. Non-conference tests will include New England powers Babson and Tufts, NCAA participants Brandeis and Wheaton (MA) and Midwest power University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. “If you want to be the best you have to play the best,” said Kenyon, who likes to look at the season in two segments: the non-conference and the conference schedule.
After seeing how they match up against difficult non-conference opponents, the team’s goal is to win every conference game and earn the top seed for the conference tournament. “We want to set ourselves up for home field and to bring the conference championship back here,” said the head coach.
The Gulls season gets underway on September 1st when they host Salem State University before travelling to Plattsburgh, N.Y. for a four team invitational that includes University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Nazareth and Plattsburgh State University. Endicott opens its CCC season on September 10th against Western New England, while the conference championship rematch with Roger Williams is October 8th in Bristol, R.I.
2011 CCC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Endicott women's soccer team has been ranked second behind Roger Williams in a preseason poll conducted by the head coaches of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), as it was announced today by league commissioner Gregg M. Kaye.
Endicott (93) claimed three of 10 first place votes just behind defending conference champions Roger Williams (97), who took the other seven first place tallies. Behind the Gulls are Western New England (72), University of New England (71), Salve Regina (50), Nichols (47), Gordon (39), Curry (38), Wentworth (30) and Eastern Nazarene (13).
After missing out on an NCAA appearance for the first time in seven years in 2010, the Endicott women’s soccer team returns to action hoping to get back to the CCC Championship game for the eighth straight year. Endicott returns its top goal scorer, starting goalie and much of its experienced backline from a team that went 17-6-2 last season.
After posting an 11-2 conference record in 2010 and earning the second seed in the CCC tournament, the Gulls had their hearts broken in the championship game, losing on penalty kicks to Roger Williams and narrowly missing an opportunity to capture their seventh conference championship in eight years. The Gulls reached the finals of the ECAC tournament and again had their run cut short, falling to Keene State 3-1.
“It was disappointing in a lot of respects,” said seventh year head coach Jodi Kenyon of the 2010 season. “We have lofty goals and we don’t want to settle for second best.” The junior class especially wants to go back to NCAA’s after having been there in their first year then missing the experience last season.
The Gulls said goodbye to five graduating seniors last spring, three of whom were field starters. This year’s team includes nine players from each of the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes, and just two players in their final year. “We’ve got a lot of talent that’s untapped, but we also have a lot of leadership. We are solid in the back and we have a lot of players that can play many different positions,” said Kenyon.
For their offensive production, Endicott will look heavily towards one of those seniors, co-captain Colleen Pepin. Pepin scored 25 goals last year, including eight game winners, to lead the CCC in both categories. She also notched 8 assists last year and led the conference in points with 58. “She just has a knack for the goal. She can turn on a dime, she’s strong, she holds opponents off well, and she can score with both her left and right foot,” said Kenyon of the Fairhaven, Mass., native. “She puts herself in good scoring positions. She’s not going to beat anyone with speed, but she beats them with determination and fight.”
Endicott also hopes to get solid offensive contributions from junior Vanessa Caruccio, who scored four goals last season and sophomores Heather Moody and Nicole Fournier, who each netted twice and combined for four assists.
Junior Caitlin Peters leads an experienced defensive line that helped the Gulls keep their opponents scoreless eight times last season. Peters was a second team All-CCC selection and was also named to the NEWISA and NSCAA All-Region second teams. One of the best and most underrated players in the conference according to her coach, Peters can also get forward on attack, and is a solid and smart player. The Salem, N.H. native and co-captain will be joined in the back line by juniors Lauren Todd and Christine Silva and sophomore Sarah Person. Silva started all 25 games for the Gulls last season while Todd started 22 contests. Freshmen Hannah Schneidenbach and local athlete Clare Mansfield (Stoneham) are both strong defensive midfielders who could make a quick impact.
It was in the midfield that the Gulls saw their biggest loss to the graduation of four key contributors, including 12-goal scorer Kayla Corbett. The good news for Endicott is that they will get sophomore Lexi Dussi back from a knee injury sustained in her HS season that she had not completely recovered from last year. Chelsea Garlock, who contributed five goals and seven assists last year, will also be featured again in the middle of the pitch, while juniors Micaela Hogan and Kayla Leonardi will now be looked to for more leadership and production.
As a freshman and the only goalkeeper on the roster, Natalie Wyrsch played every game last year and consistently gave her team an opportunity to win games. Natalie allowed just 27 goals for a 1.05 goals against average and posted 8 shutouts. With a year of experience under her belt, Wyrsch is poised to have another big season, while freshman Katie Donnely will challenge for time between the pipes and give Natalie some rest.
The Gulls will play a very difficult schedule that will both serve as a measuring stick and help improve their regional ranking appeal. Non-conference tests will include New England powers Babson and Tufts, NCAA participants Brandeis and Wheaton (MA) and Midwest power University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. “If you want to be the best you have to play the best,” said Kenyon, who likes to look at the season in two segments: the non-conference and the conference schedule.
After seeing how they match up against difficult non-conference opponents, the team’s goal is to win every conference game and earn the top seed for the conference tournament. “We want to set ourselves up for home field and to bring the conference championship back here,” said the head coach.
The Gulls season gets underway on September 1st when they host Salem State University before travelling to Plattsburgh, N.Y. for a four team invitational that includes University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Nazareth and Plattsburgh State University. Endicott opens its CCC season on September 10th against Western New England, while the conference championship rematch with Roger Williams is October 8th in Bristol, R.I.
2011 CCC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| Institution | Point Total |
| Roger Williams | 97 (7) |
| Endicott | 93 (3) |
| Western New England | 72 |
| University of New England | 71 |
| Salve Regina | 50 |
| Nichols | 47 |
| Gordon | 39 |
| Curry | 38 |
| Wentworth | 30 |
| Eastern Nazarene | 13 |