St. Joseph's Women Soccer Eyes Deep Conference Run in 2015
Patchogue, NY| The St. Joseph's College(L.I.) women's soccer team will get the 2015 going this week, starting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. with its season opener away at William Patterson. Their season-opening road trip will continue on Saturday, as they are set to face Hartwick at 3:30 PM, and Oneonta St. on Sunday at 12 PM.
Newly appointed head coach Nic DeZenzo is excited about the 2015 campaign. The Golden Eagles finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 7-12-3 and a conference record of 3-5. St. Joseph's fell short of the Skyline Conference Championship game with a 6-0 loss against the Farmingdale State in the semifinals.
According to the poll that was voted on by the coaches of the Skyline Conference, St. Joseph's were projected to finish fifth this season. The defending Skyline Conference Champion Farmingdale State is projected to finish in first again. A highly motivated Coach DeZenzo stated that "We consider ourselves one of the better teams in the conference and our expectations are to go deep in the playoffs. We want to host at least one tournament game and make a very deep run."
2015 Skyline Conference Coaches' Poll
1. Farmingdale (7) - 97 Points
2. Mount Saint Mary (3) - 93 Points
3. Sage (1) - 81 Points
4. Mount Saint Vincent - 61 Points
5. St. Joseph's-Long Island - 60 Points
6. Old Westbury - 58 Points
7. Purchase - 53 Points
8. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 39 Points
9. Maritime - 33 Points
10. Sarah Lawrence - 18 Points
11. Yeshiva - 12 Points
The Golden Eagles have 16 players returning from last season, including senior goalkeeper Katie McGarrell (Selden, NY) who started in 18 games last year, and was third in the conference with 112 saves.
Kristin Carroll (Patchogue, NY) returns after finishing second on the team with six goals and five assists last year. The 2014 Skyline Second Team All-Conference member and team captain Joanne Murino (Bohemia, NY) also returns to the backline in 2014.
The midfield and defense will be anchored by the three captains: Murino, Jess Cordano (Oakdale, NY), and Lauren Heschl (Medford, NY). Coach DeZenzo is looking for them to keep the team defensively sound as well as create a strong midfield that will control the game.
"All of our seniors have to step up and be leaders of the team on and off the field," DeZenzo said. "The senior captains will bring great leadership and experience to the incoming recruits. The trio has already done a great job and will continue to push this program to new heights."
The new season brought in four freshman and four transfer students to add to coach DeZenzo's arsenal. He expects his side to be a good balance of youth and experience.
The Golden Eagles begin conference play at Yeshiva on Tuesday, September 8 in what is the first game of a five-game trip to start off the season. The team will have their home-opener on Saturday, September 12 at 4 PM against Sarah Lawrence.
The team will seek revenge in a rematch of the Skyline semifinals against rival Farmingdale State on the road on Tuesday, October 13 at 7 PM.
