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Women's Soccer Seeks To Build On Success As Second Season Kicks Off Saturday
The inaugural season of women's soccer at Massachusetts Maritime was one of success gained and lessons learned, and as the Buccaneers prepare to venture into their second campaign under Head Coach Christine McCarey, the experiences of last fall that saw her team post a pair of victories will undoubtedly be of great benefit to a very young squad.
McCarey welcomes back four starters into a mix that includes nine newcomers in 2009, and she will look to leadership from senior Jess O'Meara (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) and sophomore Nicole Newell (Plymouth, Mass./Sacred Heart), who will serve as Massachusetts Maritime's co-captains this season. McCarey says that "Jess and Nikki have helped instill an outstanding work ethic in their teammates, and they have established themselves as solid leaders for this program going forward."
Newell appeared in all 13 contests in the middle for the Buccaneers as a rookie, and she will be joined at the midfield spots by freshmen Laura Hagan (Chester, N.H./Trinity) and Shelagh Hogan (North Andover, Mass./North Andover). Sophomore Vanessa DiDomenico (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip), a transfer from Rhode Island College, and freshman Adely Castaneda (South Bay, Fla./Glades Central) bring speed to the forward positions, while O'Meara, junior Katie Maynard (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) and sophomore Colleen Fissette (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) lend experience in the backfield, as the trio combined for 32 contests in 2008. Sophomore Shauna Callinan (West Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and freshmen Sarah Click (Buzzards Bay, Mass./Bourne) and Laura Spalt (Harwichport, Mass./Harwich) will also be vying for roles in the Buccaneer backfield as rookies.
Fissette handled the majority of the goalkeeping duties for McCarey last season, as she registered 121 saves in nine appearances, but her move to the backfield means that the netminding belongs to the freshmen tandem of Rachel Johnson (South Chatham, Mass./Chatham) and Kim Courcy (Warwick, R.I./Warwick).
Massachusetts Maritime begins the 2009 season on Saturday, September 5th by heading to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to take on Newbury in a non-league outing that begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Buccaneers posted a 3-2 double overtime triumph over the Nighthawks last September in Buzzards Bay in their first-ever varsity match.
