Pace Soccer looked back on this season fondly and shared optimism heading into next season, after losing in the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Championship Game 2-1 to Stonehill College on Nov. 6.

“This was a great experience for our players and for our staff,” said Head Coach Mike Winn, whose championship appearance was the  farthest he has ever gone as head coach.” We all put a lot of hard work into preparing for this season, and is was a great experience to get to the pinnacle of conference championships.”

Pace (12-7-2, 7-5-2 NE-10) had beaten Stonehill earlier in the season—a 1-0 win on Oct. 15.

Coach Winn admitted that beating a team twice in one season would be a difficult task.

“They were able to capitalize of some opportunities that made a difference,” Winn said.”  Their goalkeeper played very well and made some big stops.”

Winn was pleased to make it to the championship game, however, noting that his team had achieved expectations that were set in the preseason.

The team’s success was due mainly because of their senior leadership.

The five seniors on this team were very vocal to the underclassmen, as well as being able to tackle adversity, according to Winn.

“There was a point in this season when we were 2-4-2 in the conference and another point when we were 5-4-2.” Winn said.” They found a way to stay positive and finish off with a great run.”

That great run started on Oct. 9, going 7-2, before they faced Stonehill.

Forward Alyssa Zeoli, who set the Pace all-time scoring record this season with 28, could not be more proud of her teams performance. She was most proud of the culture change that occurred within her time at Pace. When she was a freshmen the team was just  5-12-1.

“This was really an exciting season because it was the farthest we had even gone,” said Zeoli, who scored Pace’s lone goal. “Playing in the championship game for the first time was such a great experience that was life changing.”

This season was extra special for Zeoli, as she missed the entire 2015 season due to injury.

“It was tough mentally because I did not feel like I was much of an impact,” Zeoli said. “So to come back and make a difference on the field was truly special.”

Zeoli believes that her fellow seniors helped make her return onto the field.

“I think the seniors all had different types of leadership,” Zeoli said. “All of those different types came in different situations this season, but the juniors also displayed leadership that will carry on into next year.”

Winn acknowledged that his team will have a different makeup heading into the 2017 season and new leaders will have to be set up in the off season.