The goals of the women’s soccer team this season include both duplicating and building on last season’s success.
One year ago the Lady Setters finished with a record of 8-9-1 (7-6-1) and went to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Lady Setters finished the regular season as the #7 seed in the Northeast-10. The team hopes that they can both improve record wise and make it farther than last year when they lost to #2 Merrimack in the first round.
The Lady Setters have almost their entire team from a year ago returning to the pitch this season. This team expects to maintain the balance between upperclassmen and underclassmen that they had in 2011.
On the defensive side of the pitch, the Lady Setters will turn to their Hope Solo for one final year. 2011 was a good year for Senior Marketing Major Courtany Hagen. She allowed 31 goals while recording a league best 126 saves. Hagen also became the Lady Setters all-time saves leader with 340 in just three years.
Senior Psychology Major Seanna Wright is another member of the Lady Setter Senior brigade. Last season Wright coupled three goals with an assist to notch seven points for the squad. Wright started in eleven of the Lady Setters 18 games in 2011, and hopes to further add to the offense.
Sticking with the goal scorers, the Lady Setters will turn to Sophomore Media and Communications Major Jill Ferro for offense. Last season the Warwick native notched eight goals and produced 20 total points. Ferro also was named to both the NE-10 All-Conference Second Team and the NE-10 Rookie Team last season.
For the Lady Setters to improve on last season, they have to find a way to score away from the friendly confines of Briarcliff Manor. In 2011, the Lady Setters had a lousy road record of 2-7. Also, the 2011 team managed only seven goals on the road while scoring 20 goals at home.
The road was not friendly to the Setters goalies either. The Lady Setters gave up an average of 2.20 goals per game on the road in 2011. That is an unflattering comparison to the 1.72 goals per game the Lady Setters allowed at home last season. If the Lady Setters can play like they did at home in 2011 away from Briarcliff Manor this season, it is fair to expect better results.
The quest for success begins for the Lady Setters on September 1 at home against the Mavericks of Mercy College.