ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College women’s soccer team is gearing up for the 2018 regular season and getting focused on working toward a run at the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) title.
The league announced the results of its preseason poll on Thursday with the Mountaineers being selected by the Conference coaches to finish fourth in the standings this year. That comes after SVC took third in 2017 and was narrowly edged in the semifinal round of the NECC playoff tournament.
Southern Vermont will be led by eighth-year head coach Michael Zauzig who is confident in his team’s ability to match up with the top squads in the league.
“Overall, I'm really excited for the season,” Zauzig said. “We have a great group of players, and each day on the field with them is an absolute pleasure. I expect that we will be competitive in every match and make it back to the playoffs. Our goals are to finish in the top three of the Conference, host another playoff match, and make it back to the semis. Additionally, it is an expectation to keep the culture of the team moving forward.”
SVC went 6-1-1 in regular season Conference action (11-4-1 overall) last year to get seeded third in the postseason and earn a home playoff match. After blanking No. 6 Newbury College in the first round, the Mountaineers saw second-seeded Elms College come from behind in the second half of a semifinal showdown—tying it up before getting the eventual game winner to go with just under five minutes left in regulation.
“First and foremost, we need to make sure that we improve every day,” Zauzig continued. “Each day, I talk to the team about steps forward; those can be on the field, in the weight room, watching film, etcetera. Second, we have to be organized and stout defensively; our conference gets stronger each year, and we have to make sure that we are always in the game. One of my goals is for us is to possess better in the attacking half or third of the field. Additionally, I believe that we will be very dangerous on set pieces. Put all those factors together and we should be playing soccer in November.”
Zauzig has 15 players returning for him in 2018 while seven new Mountaineers join the program. Among those coming back for SVC is a highly-decorated group which collected a slew of all-NECC accolades for the team last year: senior Molly Madore (Higganum, Conn.), junior Taylor Mallett (Berwick, Maine), sophomore Jayne Wierzbicki (Wilmington, Mass.), senior Naya Cerda (West Islip, N.Y.), and sophomore Rileigh Griffiths (Milford, N.Y.).
Madore made her way to the NECC All-First Team for the third-straight year in 2017, being joined there by Mallett. Wierzbicki was named the NECC Rookie of the Year in addition to being selected to the NECC All-Second Team, and both Cerda and Griffiths were honored on the All-Third Team.
“The seniors and juniors are really excited for the season,” Zauzig said. “They understand the quality we have on the team and want to make sure that it isn't wasted. More than anything, this group is experienced and understands what it takes to be successful in the NECC. No matter what happens this season, I don't see this group being phased by the moment. I know they are ready for the challenge and will make sure that we find success.”
SVC begins the regular season on Friday, August 31 with a 7 p.m. kickoff against SUNY Polytechnic Institute at Applejack Stadium in Manchester, Vt. The Mountaineers host Lesley University at 1 p.m. on September 15 to open up NECC play, and Southern Vermont celebrates Senior Day on September 29 during a league showdown with Newbury College.
2018 NECC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Lesley — 97 (8)
2. Elms — 79 (1)
3. New England — 72
4. Southern Vermont — 67
5. Becker — 65
6. Eastern Nazarene — 54
7. Bay Path — 38
T8. Dean — 30 (1)
T8. Newbury — 30
10. Mitchell — 18
(Parentheses denote first-place votes)
– #LetsGoSVC –