Posted: Aug 25, 2015

2015 Women's Soccer Season Preview

CHICOPEE, Mass. – After falling one win shy of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship the past two seasons, the Blazers are looking to claim the conference crown in Head Coach Sean Milbier's third season at the helm.

"It was great to get back to the finals, but we got beat by a better team," said Milbier. "One big problem [for us] was youth. We were starting a lot of first years, and only one senior. Youth and inexperience were our problems last year, and we gained a lot of experience getting back to the finals. That won't be a problem this year, especially with our senior leadership, and a strong junior core coming back. This season, we'll benefit from having three senior captains, a strong junior core, both on and off the field, along with our first years who are now a seasoned sophomore class. The big thing for us is having the experience of playing in big games, playing a lot of strong minutes, playing different positions, so I think our experience and leadership will be big keys for success."

Elms has posted back-to-back 11-win seasons with matching 8-1 NECC records under Milbier's first two seasons. The Blazers will be returning 15 players from the 2014 squad, including nine starters. During the 2014 season, Elms rallied back from a 2-7 start to rattle off a 10-game unbeaten streak en route to an NECC Championship match appearance. During the 10-game run, the Blazers posted eight shutouts, while outscoring opponents, 31-2. Lesley University continues to serve as a thorn in the Blazers side, handing Elms their lone conference losses the last two seasons, along with victories over the Blazers in the last two NECC title matches.

"Lesley has been the top team in our conference for the last couple years," said Milbier. "A big match will be our road trip to Lesley, along with games at Southern Vermont, Becker and our season finale against Regis at home. Those will be tough matches. When you play in conference, anything can happen. The game at Lesley will be key for us."

Senior captain Alexa Rinaudo (Bellmore, N.Y.) will return to patrol between the pipes for the Blazers after registering a league-high 10 shutouts in net last season. Rinaudo finished fourth in the NECC in goals against average with a 1.52 mark, along with 90 saves.

"[Alexa] is the example of a senior captain goalkeeper," stated Milbier. "She has the experience, she's strong and she can make all the plays. A keeper is great as a leader because they can see the whole field, and she's not afraid to bark out orders. Alexa will be instrumental to our success."

The Blazers will be returning all their starters from a defensive back line that limited opponents to 10.4 shots and 1.57 goals per game. Junior Meeghan O'Connor (Fall River, Mass.) garnered All-NECC Honorable Mention status after her sophomore campaign, making 18 starts at back with three goals. Sophomore Lexi Vieira (Warren, R.I.) made 15 starts with an assist as a freshman playing at the left outside back position, while sophomore Silvana Tellerico (Southington, Conn.) started 18 games at center back as a freshman. Senior Lyndsey Oppenheimer (Easthampton, Mass.) started 10 games as a junior, and will help leader from the back line as one of the team's three captains. Junior Kathleen Tuechler (Farmingdale, N.Y.) will be returning from injury in 2015, after starting all 22 games on the back line as a freshman in 2013.

"Meeghan will be our anchor in the middle," continued Milbier. "Kat [Tuechler] is a question mark for us right now since she'll be coming back from an injury last season, so I'm interested to see what she can do and if she's ready. I think we have depth on our back line, so we're not too worried about her not being ready. Obviously we want [Tuechler] in there, she's a great player, and having her next to Meeghan would be huge, but we do have depth with six or seven players who could start. We told Lexi that's it's her spot to lose. When we brought her in as a freshman, I told her that she'll be playing 90 minutes for the next four years in the outside back spot. I don't see any reason why she won't come in and continue to do that. Lyndsey is another of our senior leaders who's been through all of it. She's as tough as they come and we're looking forward to have at that outside spot. If you look at our players who've been working hard over the summer, you have to look long and hard to find someone who's worked as hard as Silvana. Silvana wants to play, and wants to start, and I think she could start in the middle or the outside, which is huge for us."

The Blazers midfield play should be a strength of the 2015 squad with three All-NECC players coming back. Helming the midfield will senior Michelle Rossignol (Manchester, Conn.), joining Rinaudo and Oppenheimer as team captains. Rossignol is a two-time all-conference player, earning First Team status as sophomore, followed by a Second Team designation in 2014. Rossignol was the Blazer leading distributor, racking up a team-high five assists with two goals. Junior Rachel Mick (Granby, Conn.) returned from injury midway through the 2014 season, recording three assists along with an All-NECC Second Team selection. Junior Rachel Connell (Easthampton, Mass.) claimed All-Conference Honorable Mention status after totaling 10 points with four goals and two assists as a sophomore. Sophomore Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.) started 20 games in the midfield, recording 11 points with four goals and three assists, while sophomore Angelina Estrada (Springfield, Mass.) appeared in 21 games as a freshman, making nine starts with three goals and an assist. Sophomore Madison Jung (Stafford Springs, Conn.) appeared in 17 games with two goals and an assist, and sophomore Mackenzie LaRochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) appeared in 21 games with a pair of goals and an assist.

"I tell Mich [Rossignol] all the time that she's the best player on the field, whenever play, wherever we play," stated Milbier. "She's a key to our success. Last year, we asked a lot of Mich, she had to play a lot of different positions, from the back line to up top. This season, her role will be more defined, and she'll be in the midfield, controlling the ball, distributing the ball, and scoring some goals, and I think she's in for a big season like her sophomore year. Rachel [Mick] is a great player, and will be great for us in the center-mid spot. She knows how to hunt the ball, and can make plays both on and off the ball, and she has a very high soccer IQ. "Rocky" [Mick] missed about half of last season, and it took her some time to get back, but it was a noticeable difference when she was in there and healthy. Rachel [Connell] is probably the hardest working player on this team. She makes the most of her talent, and keeps getting better and better. If you took Rachel from her freshman year to her now as junior, it's unbelievable, and it's because of how hard she works. She loves the team, she'll lay it on the line every single time, and we are looking for big things from Rachel. She's a big part of the success of this team. Jackie is another player who worked really hard this offseason. Jackie's best attribute is her defense, she's a very good defending midfielder, but she's also good on the ball, good in the air and can score goals, so I think Jackie will be another strength in our midfield. Angie [Estrada] is another hard-worker, who maximizes her talent. She scored a huge goal for us in the conference semifinal match against Regis. Angie is super-fast, and super strong, and continues to get better with her skill and will grow into a big part of our team. Maddie [Jung] is another player with a high soccer IQ, high soccer skill, and when she's healthy and fit, she'll be on the field. Mackenzie [LaRochelle] has come back super fit this season, and we are looking for big things from her in the midfield."

The Blazers incoming class for 2015 features nine players, including a pair of transfer students. Sophomore Brionna Voight (Springfield, Mass.) comes to Elms after spending her freshman season at Western New England University, where she led the Golden Bears with 21 points, netting eight goals with five assists during the 2013 season. Junior Sevonnah LaRochelle (Chicopee, Mass.) returns to Elms after playing for the Women's Soccer program as a freshman in 2011, appearing in 20 games with six goals and two assists. The Blazers freshman class includes Christina Leonardo (Enfield, Conn.), Danielle Asklar (Berlin, Conn.), Angelina Thibault (South Hadley, Mass.), Hailey Buco (Warwick, R.I.), Kelsey Shea (Granby, Mass.), Lauren Kiessling (Woodsville, N.H.), and Savanna Costa (New Britain, Conn.).

"We are very excited about our incoming class," exclaimed Milbier. "We'll have two transfer students and seven incoming freshman. Sevonnah LaRochelle spent a year at Elms, left, and is now coming back, and she'll provide depth in the midfield. She's a very tough player, very good on the ball, and we are excited to see her here. Another transfer is Brionna Voight, a local kid who played a year at Western New England, did very well, and scored a lot of goals. She's very good on the ball, has a high soccer IQ and she brings some speed, so we are looking for her to improve our goal-scoring ability. Tina [Leonardo] is a tough player, who can add to our back line or midfield, and we are looking for big things from. Hailey Buco comes from Rhode Island and will add to our back line depth. Kelsey Shea is a local kid with a high soccer IQ, and I love watching Kelsey play because he's always under control on the ball. Danielle Asklar is a good player with a good pace and will bring added depth to our midfield. "GiGi [Thibault] is super-fast and super fit. She's a player who went to Nationals for Track and Field, and will give us pace up top. Savanna Costa is another tough kid who gives us depth on the back line or in the midfield, and is very good in the air and very strong. Lauren Kiessling adds depth to our midfield and is a hardworking kid who we are excited to bring in.

"With what we have coming in, and what we have coming back, there's no reason we can't be successful," echoed Milbier. "Obviously we're going to have to work hard, and right now it's just on paper, but as a coaching staff, we're very excited with the core we coming back and the new additions coming in. I feel like the chemistry will be good with this group. Whenever you bring in nine new players, you could be a little worried about it, but from the attitude we saw over the summer, it's been a very good vibe. It all comes from having strong leadership with our senior captains and our junior class. They aren't about individualism, and one of the team concepts has been 'I defer', defer to the team, no matter if you're coming off the bench or starting. That's your role, and you get it done. I'm very excited to see this team come together, and I think it will come together well. Our expectations are to win the NECC Championship. I expect us to go undefeated on Leary Field, I expect us to improve our non-conference record, and I expect us to go undefeated in the conference, get in the NCAAs and make some noise. Maybe we can give someone a scare and get a win in the first round of the NCAAs, which this team is more than capable of doing."

The Blazers open the 2015 season against Rhode Island College on September 1^st at Leary Field. Kick-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Click here for 2015 Women's Soccer Schedule

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