Published September 6, 2019
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose Lady Raider soccer team returns this year one year wiser and well conditioned as they enter their fall season. They open this week on Thursday (post deadline) under the light of Fred Green Fields, and according to second year head coach Rob Mahoney, Melrose is coming into the season competitive and energized.
Leading the team this year are senior captains Olivia Scarpa, Maggie Sullivan and Ciara Smith. “All three captains lead by example,” says Mahoney. “Ciara is a natural athlete who is strong on offense and defense. I expect her to be a high scorer for us. Maggie leads by example, her soccer IQ is great. And Olivia is a strong athlete who has great composure and takes on a lot.”
Melrose returns 13 players and will be led by 8 seniors in total, including Emma Lynch Galvin, Andrea Mortimer, Serena DiBari, Lauren Carlino, Katie Wright, Jenna Champagne, Ava Palumbo and Julia Deeble. Defenders in that group include Palumbo, DeBari, Deeble and Champagne. Look for Emma Lynch Galvin to be a force on defense. Among the returning scorers are Ciara Smith, Grace Donahue, Jenna Champagne and Andrea Mortimer, who found the net plenty for Melrose last season. “We have a lot of offensive options, as we did last year,” confirms the coach. “It’s not going to be just one or two players doing all the scoring.”
THE MELROSE High girls’ soccer team is ready to hit the ground running this fall. (file photo)
At the net, junior Jocelyn Skane takes command, picking up where Jill Stone left off. Skane got her feet wet last year so this role is by no means new to her. “She’s a naturally strong and athletic player,” says her coach. “She has really high IQ of the game, is ahead of the curve and helpful to younger players.”
New players include junior outside middie Alyssa Champagne, defender Ella Flemming and Haley Smith. All three were called up to varsity action last year and are expected to see playing time. Also joining are sophomores Katherine Carney, Lucy Hannon and strikers Kate Hubbard and Shelagh Downes. Says Mahoney, “We have good depth and I don’t see a drop off in talent in turns of substitutions.”
Pre-season scrimmages have shown Melrose to be very competitive. Last season the Lady Raiders saw many of their games to be 1-point decisions. This year, Mahoney is looking to flip the script. “We had so many close games but we want to be in the position where we go the extra mile. We want to work on ‘staying up’ — that’s a saying we use. We want to be resilient and help each other on the field.”
There are no easy games in the Middlesex League (particularly in the large division) but Mahoney sees no reason why Melrose can’t make a run at a Freedom League title. “I think we will be in a similar position as last year, capable of beating in the Freedom and contending for a title. Ultimately, we’d like this to be a year that we make playoffs.”
Melrose gets that chance when they host Arlington at Fred Green Field on Thursday (post deadline). Look for Melrose to have their next home game Sept. 12 when they host Belmont at 4:00 p.m. at Pine Banks.
