August 22, 2023 – Story by Ava DiCecca, photos by Joshua Ross
Last year’s Division I state champions are back in action and in search of their second championship, this time in Division II. Despite graduating some key players including Massachusetts’ Gatorade Player of the Year Sophie Reale(UCLA), and Patriot League All-Stars Maddie Aughe (Northeastern) and Emily Gibbons (Cornell), there is no shortage of talent rounding out this year’s team. Players ranging from some impressive incoming freshmen to the experienced seniors and senior captains. It will be a team effort to successfully fill the roles and talent vacated by the departed seniors and to uphold the high standards that they set for themselves, especially coming off of such a dominating season. However, very little doubt was expressed that any goal they had for themselves or the team was anything but completely achievable.
Senior c0-captain and last year’s Anchor Athlete of the Year, Reese Pompeo, was the first to speak to the especially lofty goals that the team has for the season. She stated that no matter the differences between this season and last they are continuing with these “pretty ambitious goals. I think they are reachable for us even this year.” This is an important and seemingly widespread mindset for Harborwoman soccer as none of the players seemed to back down from any of the expectations they set for the season.
Coach Mary-Frances Monroe spoke to some of the players with the biggest shoes to fill that we can expect big things from this season:
“We have (junior) Grace Maroney who has been fantastic. Fast, would do anything for the team, and always has a smile on her face. Reese Pompeo coming back as a starting defender, we are going to rely on her a lot. (Senior captain) Ava Varholak who is another captain and center midfielder who will be an impact player for us so really excited what she can do finally kind of having the reigns a little bit. We had so much talent before but it’s her time to step up into big shoes and I think she will be able to do that. Then we have (senior captain) Claire Murray who’s coming back as well who’s obviously All-American caliber, going D1, one of the best players I think in the state and in the country as well.”
It seems that despite losing some big-time players, there are many stepping up that are more than capable of leading the team and have already begun to set themselves on a strong path. Coach Monroe even stated that they all “seem to be excited about jumping into their new roles” which will create a comfortable environment, allowing that high level of compete she values so much to flourish.
Ava Varholak, who is committed to play at Lafayette next year, spoke to the importance of togetherness that will be a key factor in the upcoming season. She stated that it’s important on the field that “everyone really knows that they have an important role on the team” and off the field “to build those bonds outside of soccer so that it translates onto the field.” Her fellow captain Claire Murray backed her up on familiarity with one another being a crucial element, commenting that “getting to know each other and learning new playing styles is probably going to be the hardest part.” She put an emphasis on “trying to be good teammates and good friends” aligning with Varholak’s comments about the importance of a connection on and off the field.
Coach Monroe and Varholak agreed that what the team seemed to be missing most at the moment was some fire. They spoke to the “really great kids” that they have this season but the missing component, a spark and some more energy on the field, was a crucial element to their success last season. A fiery attitude is something they will need again as they will be facing entirely new competition this season in division two and can’t rely at all on their knowledge of how their opponent plays. This does not seem like it will pose problems for long seeing that all parties were unfazed by their recent move to Division II and are excited to rely solely on their skills, step up into prominent leadership roles, and bring a new energy to the team. Coach Monroe talked specifically about Murray who she thinks “is going to have to put the team on her shoulders a little bit more and be our superstar.” She spoke to Claire as well as some of the other captains now coming into their own after learning from the seniors last year but no longer having them to look towards or lean on.
Every team enters a new season with many strengths and some areas needing improvement but the overarching excitement for the chance at not only a fun and outstanding season, but back-to-back titles seems to combat any concerns that the leadership team has expressed. With the new dynamics present, this season will be almost a 180 from the last, but their aligned enthusiasm and drive as well as an added willingness to take on these new vacant roles and step out of their comfort zones for the good of the team, leaves much confidence that the end result will be the same.
PRESEASON PHOTOS
