It has been six seasons since the women’s soccer team won a championship in the Great Northeast Atlantic Conference (GNAC). Despite two finals appearances in back-to-back years, the Lasers have failed to reach the ultimate goal of winning a GNAC championship.
Head Coach Vito La Francesca believes the key to winning the whole thing is establishing trust between each teammate, while also developing chemistry between himself and his players.
“Making sure that we are getting along on and off the field is the most important thing,” said La Francesca. “We need to be in sync with each other.”
The Laser’s head coach who has been with the team since 2007 also noted the team will be relying on many of the upperclassmen this season, whether they are starting or coming off the bench.
As the summer came to a close, the women’s soccer team came together after a typical lengthy break away from the competitive game they all love. However, that did not stop them from approaching the regular season with grit and hunger.
According to La Francesca, the team “answered the bell” when it came to arriving at their first practice ready to go and prepared for conditioning.
“We had higher expectations this offseason, making sure [the players] were in shape and that allowed us to attack the preseason differently,” said La Francesca. “It gave them a higher target to achieve, and they raised the bar.”
Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Mack Kingsman, had similar things to say, as she mentioned the team showed up ready to practice and is hopeful the work they put in now will drive them through the regular season and postseason.
“The upperclassmen have their eyes set on what they want and that drove the underclassmen to work harder,” said Kingsman.
Aside from the team’s great work ethic, Kingsman, who formerly played for the women’s soccer team added the squad has “shown some great growth from last year,” and combining that with leadership from the veterans “is a great combination that will move us forward.”
A championship will not come easy for the Lasers, who have so far experienced several ups and downs during their current season, but it appears that no matter how the team plays in a particular game, they understand the blueprint for finally getting over the hump of winning a GNAC Championship.