By: Mike Hayes Staff Writer
The fall sports season is underway and Montgomery College’s women’s soccer team is off of the best season in school history and are looking to improve upon the recent success.
Last fall, the Lady Knights went undefeated in the regular season and won the regional title thanks to last year’s MD Junior College coach of the year, Kelly Wakeman. The team was the top ranked squad in the country for eight weeks last year and finished the season ranked fifth. Wakeman’s Coach of the Year award was a first for women’s soccer at MC, as was the regional championship victory.
Thankfully, the success of last year’s team has not gone unrecognized. “The team is definitely a force to be reckoned with,” said Erica Lloyd, the Promotion and Events Coordinator for Montgomery College Athletics. Lloyd expects big things from all of the school’s teams in her first year at MC. She is also working to see the student body get more involved in supporting athletics and expects an increase in attendance at games. Last year, all of the fall teams performed well and Lloyd, along with the coaches and players, would like to see more recognition and acknowledgement of the team’s achievements from students on campus.
This year, the women’s soccer team will defend their regional title and aim to surpass that achievement. The team will be led by its leading scorers from last fall. Forward/Midfielder Anna Bolanos who finished the regular season with 18 goals, an average of one per game, and Forward Sonia Bosma, team leader in assists and second leading goal-scorer, will return and bring veteran leadership to an already poised team. Those are two of the eleven second-year players on the roster this year, an impressive number compared to other teams in the region.
Also returning is one of last season’s goalkeepers, Julia DeSousa. In her 222 minutes in front of the net, DeSousa only allowed one goal past her, finishing the season with a Goals Against Average of .405 per game. The team has returning players at all positions and the added experience and depth can help ease the difficult journey to a second consecutive regional title and possible national title chase.
The girls stumbled out of the gate in their attempt to defend their regional title, losing 1-0 to Harcum College in the season opener on September 3. Their second game was on Saturday, September 10 against Burlington County College in New Jersey. The Burlington game kicks off a five game road trip that spans across three states, with games played in New Jersey, New York and, of course, Maryland. The ladies’ next home game is September 20 at 4:00 p.m. against Harford. There are two more games played on the road than at home this regular season, so fans who wish to attend games should keep track of the team’s schedule.