Soccer Seasons Kick Off Sunday For Men and Women
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Both Mitchell College soccer teams kick
off the 2010 campaign on Sunday with home matches. The Mariners are
determined to bring home a conference championship and, for the
first time ever, an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
Men's Soccer
On the men's side, head coach Dean Roberts welcomes back 18
letterwinners and adds seven newcomers to the roster. Roberts
returns a total of nine starters from a team that qualified for the
NECC Championship last season.
The duo of James Gleason and
Jaime
Serrano will lead the Mariners on offense. Gleason paced the
squad last season with six goals and one assist and was named to
the NECC All-Conference First Team. Serrano, a team captain in
2010, is coming off a productive season of five goals and one
assist.
On the defensive side, goalkeeper Kevin Woodford
returns to action between the pipes. The junior netminder sported a
1.48 goals-against average last season and should benefit from
playing behind an experienced back line that includes
all-conference selections John Burkart and Matt Grandy.
Helping the cause on defense will co-captain Terrence Mulhern.
The Mariners will open the season against Rivier College on
Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Mitchell will play a 16-game slate that
includes non-conference dates with Bridgewater State, Lehman, Coast
Guard, Albertus Magnus, Emmanuel, Springfield, Connecticut College
and CCNY. The NECC schedule begins on September 25 at Southern
Vermont, a rematch from last year's quarterfinals matchup. The
regular season concludes on October 30 at Becker, and the top six
teams will qualify for postseason play beginning on November 3. The
winner of the 2010 NECC Championship will earn the conference's
first-ever at-large berth in the NCAA Championship.
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team will look build on its strong finish from
last season. The Mariners went 6-2 in conference play during the
regular season and played their way to the NECC Championship title
game before succumbing to Lesley. Head coach Damian Houlden returns
16 letterwinners and all but one starter from last year's
squad.
The Mariners return all their goal scorers from the 2009 season,
including all-conference selections Nikki
Hoxie, Paige Ehnot and Leslie
Briggs. The trio accounted for the majority of Mitchell's
offensive firepower, combining for 32 goals and 20 assists over 19
games. Hoxie led the way with 14 goals and nine assists and ranked
second in the NECC in scoring with 37 points.
Ehnot will slide to the back line to help bolster the defense while
Angie Smith and Shannen Pelletier return to patrol the midfield. The
trio will serve as team captains for the 2010 campaign.
The Mariners open up the season with a home date against Anna Maria
College on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Mitchell will play a 16-game slate
that includes non-conference match-ups against Pine Manor, Rhode
Island College, Coast Guard, Connecticut College, Albertus Magnus,
UMass-Dartmouth and Saint Joseph (Conn.). Conference play begins on
September 25 at Southern Vermont and concludes on October 30 at
Becker. The top six teams in the regular season standings will
qualify for the 2010 NECC Championship, with the winner earning the
conference's first-ever at-large berth in the NCAA
Championship.
