FSU Women's Soccer Team Set Sights High

Courtesy of Nick Mallard, Sentinel & Enterprise

FITCHBURG -- Growing pains under a first-year head coach? Not unheard of.

But the Fitchburg State women's soccer team expects no bumps in the road ahead under the guidance of rookie coach Patricia McColl. In fact, from what they've experienced together thus far, the Falcons are overwhelmingly optimistic that the leadership and talent the team has will combine to produce stellar results.

Never mind last season's 6-12 mark. The Falcons have come together through spring and summer training sessions and believe they are primed for success.

"It's been very smooth. The coaches are great together and we just feed off of them," senior defender and captain Devin Donnelly said Tuesday's Media Day at Elliot Field. "We're working really well together as a team. We all really work together and have meshed really well."

McColl, a two-time collegiate All-American, noted that Donnelly and fellow captains Kayla Bridges, Sierra Santos and Sarah Haley have made her first preseason much easier than she could have anticipated.

"My captains have stepped up in the offseason and they're bringing the team along," McColl said. "They've brought the freshmen in and made them feel welcome. Our motto this season is 'family.' That's what we're going with and it seems to be working."

From day one, McColl has been pleased with her experience with the FSU squad.

"It's been great," she noted. "My recruiting season was wonderful. We brought in 10 recruits and had eight decide to play. They all came in ready to go. (Goalkeeper coach) Ashley-Taylor Fuller and (assistant coach) Mike Donahue were excited to get going."

The Falcons seem focused after going through what Bridges -- who tied for the team lead with five goals last season -- calls "a productive preseason."

"We've got a lot of new players who came in during the spring, but everyone's been acting like a team and working well together,' Bridges said. "It's not like a group of individuals out there; it's an actual team."

Having lost goalkeeper and Leominster native Jill Kirouac to graduation, the team will look to senior Kelsey Ford to fill the void in net, with junior Darlenne Chavarria backing her up.

From there, though, the Falcons boast a bit of experience in most other positions. And the newcomers to the group are fitting in nicely.

"We have a lot of seniors and juniors," Santos said. "We've got a good group coming in, with freshmen and sophomores. We've got a good squad this year and we're really looking forward to playing."

McColl says the time will look to possess the ball and limit mistakes. She believes that strategy will benefit her team much more than a simple kick-and-chase game and will make the Falcons a team "to be reckoned with."

"Our focus is a possession game," the coach said. "We want to keep the ball more than our opponents and we're looking to win a lot of ballgames. We think it's something we can accomplish with this group."

The belief that the team is capable of being very successful has the Falcons setting some high standards.

"One of the goals is to win MASCAC and make the NCAA tournament," Donnelly said. "We want to do that and see how far we can go. I think it's definitely possible."

The Falcons know that when the season starts on Sept. 3 with a home game against Emmanuel, they have just one task: perform on the pitch.

"We want to have a winning season and have fun," Santos noted. "We want to do what we came here to do and that's play soccer."