Boston College Athletics
Women's Soccer Ready For All Challenges
August 05, 2017 | Women's Soccer, #ForBoston Files
Chemistry and excitement dot the roster as Eagles ready for 2017.
When the ACC released its annual women's soccer preseason poll, Boston College found themselves looking up at the bulk of the conference. Picked 10th among the league's 14 teams, the Eagles sit outside the frenetic, tightly-wound pack populating the coaches' poll top slots.
But one talk with head coach Alison Foley reveals just how little all of that matters to the long run.
"I never get worked up over any polls," she said. "We've been number one in the country before and it didn't really excite me. We are who we are. As a team, we prepare training sessions and go into every game the same way. As a coach and a player, my personality is always to be the underdog, so I get excited and love that challenge. We're at our best when we have something to prove to people."
It's a mentality the Eagles embrace as they prepare to kick-off the 2017 regular season. As they hunt for more success after last year's 11-7-1 finish, they'll do so with a foundation built by chemistry, teamwork and old-fashioned grit.
"I think that we have so many players returning that have played critical moments," Foley said. "They're an excellent group who played in a lot of big games. The foundation of any team is leadership, and that's a huge strength for us. Allyson Swaby has been a stalwart for us in the center back position. Lauren Berman led our team in assists and is just a grinder that does everything behind the scenes to make us better. Having those two as leaders, with their will to succeed, is something that's going to be really exciting."
The duo is the captains of a team that will find its way after the departure of two of its most prolific athletes. With McKenzie Meehan and Hayley Dowd both drafted into professional careers, there are two very obvious holes to fill. But the majority of the team's core is back, and a young roster will provide opportunity for newcomers to make their mark with immediate impacts.
Olivia Vaughn and Jenna Bike return up front on attack, with Kayla Jennings and Gaby Carreiro joining and Berman are in the midfield. Defensively, both Swaby and Madison Kenny are back, bringing with them Alexis Bryant's 1500 minutes in goal last season.
They'll combine with a fresh crop of Eagles already integrated into the Boston College system. Elysa Virella is a junior college transfer from Monroe College, where she led the Mustangs in every major offensive category. A 2016 All-American second team honoree, she helped Monroe to the NJCAA Regional Finals last season. She comes to BC to play defense, highlighting much of her all-around athleticism.
"Elysa is one of two players who are making a quick adjustment," Foley said. "Mijke Roelfsema is a Dutch national player who is a little bit older. She plays with the U-19 national team, which will put her in position to make a quick adjustment. Even though she's a freshman, she's a little bit older."
Up front, Samantha Coffey enters BC with 100 career goals at the high school level. A United States U-18 product, she has two international tournaments under her belt. Given the chance to captain the Americans against Northern Ireland, she won Player of the Game. With their talent levels, all of the freshmen have felt comfortable enough to integrate themselves immediately into the Eagle roster.
"The freshmen really feel comfortable," Allyson Swaby said. "There are those first time nerves, but they're not afraid to try different things. They're not intimidated, which is what we want. And all the returners are all happy to be back. So there's been a great energy and a really good vibe on this team. We've been able to do technical practice, which gets the jitters out. It got everyone comfortable to work on the field to play a position, cover an area, and gel. People are playing and having a good time with it."
"At practice, the freshmen have been talking a lot, directing in a drill," Lauren Berman said. "I would've never thought of doing that (during my freshman year), but it's really been a great thing. It's so great that they're comfortable enough to do it because that's going to change the atmosphere. It's going to help us play more together. We're not a team that has one age or one class - we're one team."
That type of chemistry becomes vital to success in a gauntlet schedule featuring three defending conference champions. Opening up at UConn, last year's AAC champion, the Eagles will later play Vanderbilt and top local programs like Northeastern and Harvard, who won the CAA and Ivy League, respectively, in 2016.
"Chemistry makes or breaks you as a team, no matter how talented you are," Foley said. "That's something dictated by our leaders. Our captains are very inclusive. From last spring, they got right on the incoming freshmen. They started a big sister-little sister program, and they're the first ones waiting for the freshmen to leave the field. They'll bring them in between sessions to make sure they have something to eat or have friends around them. That's (Swaby and Berman) and their natural personalities. They're selfless and caring, and that transitions into the type of atmosphere you want to have.
"Our schedule is part of our buildup to the ACC," Foley continued. "The best part about being in Boston is that Harvard, Northeastern and BU typically win their conference so you can test yourself against tournament teams. UConn is one of the most successful soccer programs in the country. So we can learn early on what might work and what might not work. Hopefully we find those things out with winning, but we have great preparation for the ACC."
Though the team finished 11-7-1 a year ago, there is room for improvement, and the Eagles know the ACC is waiting for them. They finished over .500 last year and defeated Florida State, a team ranked second nationally at game time. But they only finished 3-7 in the ACC, a testament to a conference sending seven teams to the national tournament.
"We expect to win all of our non-conference games," Swaby said. "Those are the games that prepare us for the ACC. We're confident in our abilities against everyone. The ACC is then its own thing, but we're ready to run with it and use those games to push us into the conference games."
Helping BC's confidence is their mastery on their own home field. Playing on Newton Campus, it's a unique setting away from Chestnut Hill. Within BC's main walls, time flies by. Playing in Newton, however, the Eagles find themselves as a featured attraction for students who live and study two miles away.
"I think Newton is an intimate setting," Foley said. "When you're slightly off campus, you get that feeling that comes when you get to go to your game and match. That's pretty cool. As a program, we've done a good job getting out into the community, working camps. We've really connected with youth soccer organizations, and that's something we do to extend ourselves to people can connect with that intimacy. I love that we have three of the top teams in the nation coming to us in Duke, North Carolina and Virginia. Hopefully by then, we can have some momentum going and get a great atmosphere."
"I love the van rides over to Newton," Berman said. "It seems hectic because we have to drive to our games, but it's great. We can blast music and dance and have fun in the car. It settles the mood and makes people ready to play with that good vibe. Newton is 'our area.' We feel like it's our place on campus. The freshmen can come right over to the field during orientation because they want to see what's going on.
"Those ACC games are so challenging," she continued. "But those other teams have a very different field and different atmosphere. I don't think they're as prepared for our environment. In return, it's always tough for us to go on the road into their atmosphere, but our unique setting makes it tough for teams."
The Eagles open up on August 11th against Connecticut. Their first home game is slated for August 25th against Vanderbilt.
But one talk with head coach Alison Foley reveals just how little all of that matters to the long run.
"I never get worked up over any polls," she said. "We've been number one in the country before and it didn't really excite me. We are who we are. As a team, we prepare training sessions and go into every game the same way. As a coach and a player, my personality is always to be the underdog, so I get excited and love that challenge. We're at our best when we have something to prove to people."
It's a mentality the Eagles embrace as they prepare to kick-off the 2017 regular season. As they hunt for more success after last year's 11-7-1 finish, they'll do so with a foundation built by chemistry, teamwork and old-fashioned grit.
"I think that we have so many players returning that have played critical moments," Foley said. "They're an excellent group who played in a lot of big games. The foundation of any team is leadership, and that's a huge strength for us. Allyson Swaby has been a stalwart for us in the center back position. Lauren Berman led our team in assists and is just a grinder that does everything behind the scenes to make us better. Having those two as leaders, with their will to succeed, is something that's going to be really exciting."
The duo is the captains of a team that will find its way after the departure of two of its most prolific athletes. With McKenzie Meehan and Hayley Dowd both drafted into professional careers, there are two very obvious holes to fill. But the majority of the team's core is back, and a young roster will provide opportunity for newcomers to make their mark with immediate impacts.
Olivia Vaughn and Jenna Bike return up front on attack, with Kayla Jennings and Gaby Carreiro joining and Berman are in the midfield. Defensively, both Swaby and Madison Kenny are back, bringing with them Alexis Bryant's 1500 minutes in goal last season.
They'll combine with a fresh crop of Eagles already integrated into the Boston College system. Elysa Virella is a junior college transfer from Monroe College, where she led the Mustangs in every major offensive category. A 2016 All-American second team honoree, she helped Monroe to the NJCAA Regional Finals last season. She comes to BC to play defense, highlighting much of her all-around athleticism.
"Elysa is one of two players who are making a quick adjustment," Foley said. "Mijke Roelfsema is a Dutch national player who is a little bit older. She plays with the U-19 national team, which will put her in position to make a quick adjustment. Even though she's a freshman, she's a little bit older."
Up front, Samantha Coffey enters BC with 100 career goals at the high school level. A United States U-18 product, she has two international tournaments under her belt. Given the chance to captain the Americans against Northern Ireland, she won Player of the Game. With their talent levels, all of the freshmen have felt comfortable enough to integrate themselves immediately into the Eagle roster.
"The freshmen really feel comfortable," Allyson Swaby said. "There are those first time nerves, but they're not afraid to try different things. They're not intimidated, which is what we want. And all the returners are all happy to be back. So there's been a great energy and a really good vibe on this team. We've been able to do technical practice, which gets the jitters out. It got everyone comfortable to work on the field to play a position, cover an area, and gel. People are playing and having a good time with it."
"At practice, the freshmen have been talking a lot, directing in a drill," Lauren Berman said. "I would've never thought of doing that (during my freshman year), but it's really been a great thing. It's so great that they're comfortable enough to do it because that's going to change the atmosphere. It's going to help us play more together. We're not a team that has one age or one class - we're one team."
That type of chemistry becomes vital to success in a gauntlet schedule featuring three defending conference champions. Opening up at UConn, last year's AAC champion, the Eagles will later play Vanderbilt and top local programs like Northeastern and Harvard, who won the CAA and Ivy League, respectively, in 2016.
"Chemistry makes or breaks you as a team, no matter how talented you are," Foley said. "That's something dictated by our leaders. Our captains are very inclusive. From last spring, they got right on the incoming freshmen. They started a big sister-little sister program, and they're the first ones waiting for the freshmen to leave the field. They'll bring them in between sessions to make sure they have something to eat or have friends around them. That's (Swaby and Berman) and their natural personalities. They're selfless and caring, and that transitions into the type of atmosphere you want to have.
"Our schedule is part of our buildup to the ACC," Foley continued. "The best part about being in Boston is that Harvard, Northeastern and BU typically win their conference so you can test yourself against tournament teams. UConn is one of the most successful soccer programs in the country. So we can learn early on what might work and what might not work. Hopefully we find those things out with winning, but we have great preparation for the ACC."
Though the team finished 11-7-1 a year ago, there is room for improvement, and the Eagles know the ACC is waiting for them. They finished over .500 last year and defeated Florida State, a team ranked second nationally at game time. But they only finished 3-7 in the ACC, a testament to a conference sending seven teams to the national tournament.
"We expect to win all of our non-conference games," Swaby said. "Those are the games that prepare us for the ACC. We're confident in our abilities against everyone. The ACC is then its own thing, but we're ready to run with it and use those games to push us into the conference games."
Helping BC's confidence is their mastery on their own home field. Playing on Newton Campus, it's a unique setting away from Chestnut Hill. Within BC's main walls, time flies by. Playing in Newton, however, the Eagles find themselves as a featured attraction for students who live and study two miles away.
"I think Newton is an intimate setting," Foley said. "When you're slightly off campus, you get that feeling that comes when you get to go to your game and match. That's pretty cool. As a program, we've done a good job getting out into the community, working camps. We've really connected with youth soccer organizations, and that's something we do to extend ourselves to people can connect with that intimacy. I love that we have three of the top teams in the nation coming to us in Duke, North Carolina and Virginia. Hopefully by then, we can have some momentum going and get a great atmosphere."
"I love the van rides over to Newton," Berman said. "It seems hectic because we have to drive to our games, but it's great. We can blast music and dance and have fun in the car. It settles the mood and makes people ready to play with that good vibe. Newton is 'our area.' We feel like it's our place on campus. The freshmen can come right over to the field during orientation because they want to see what's going on.
"Those ACC games are so challenging," she continued. "But those other teams have a very different field and different atmosphere. I don't think they're as prepared for our environment. In return, it's always tough for us to go on the road into their atmosphere, but our unique setting makes it tough for teams."
The Eagles open up on August 11th against Connecticut. Their first home game is slated for August 25th against Vanderbilt.
Players Mentioned
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