WESTON, Mass. – For the most part, a preseason poll is just a rehash of the previous year's final standings, unless a high-performing team suffers significant losses or a team lower in the standings shows signs of improvement.
So, following a ninth-place finish in 2017 and with 12 newcomers joining a squad with only two seniors, the Regis College women's soccer team found itself in 10th position in the preseason GNAC coaches poll released in late August. In addition, besides the conference schedule, the Pride would open the season with three non-conference matches in four days.
However, the Pride would quickly prove those predictions wrong, establishing their never-say-die attitude in the season opener. Down 2-1 at Maine-Farmington entering the final stretch of regulation, Regis scored the game-tying goal in the 80th minute, and then notched the game-winning tally with 30 seconds left on the clock for a 3-2 victory.
After a loss in the home opener, Regis would win four of the next six matches, including three overtime victories. The Pride opened the conference season with a comeback 2-1 overtime win at Suffolk, overcame a late goal by St. Joseph that forced extra time to defeat the Blue Jays the following Saturday, and then rallied from a 2-0 deficit at Colby-Sawyer for a 3-2 victory one week later, scoring the golden goal in the 106th minute.
Regis would recover from two close losses at the end of September by winning five of its final six regular season games. That stretch was capped by consecutive shutout victories over Rivier and Framingham State, giving the Pride momentum heading into the conference tournament.
As the fifth seed, Regis traveled to Boston to face fourth seed Emmanuel on a cold Friday night. The first meeting between the Pride and the Saints Sept. 26 came down to an Emmanuel goal in the 84th minute, and the rematch one month later was just as close, as the Saints scored in the 66th minute and then held on for the 1-0 victory that ended the Pride's season.
Despite the loss, Regis finished the 2018 season with a 10-7 overall record, including a 7-5 mark within the GNAC to end up in a tie for fifth place in the final regular season standings. The Pride scored 41 goals, averaging 2.4 goals per game, while allowing just 31 goals for a 1.79 goals against average, including three shutouts.
Regis placed three players on the All-GNAC teams, led by Second Team All-GNAC honoree Kaylee Francis (Millis, Mass.). Francis, a two-time GNAC Rookie of the Week, led the Pride with 11 goals and five assists for 27 total points, just one goal and one point away from the Regis single-season record in both categories.
Rachel Kelly (Whitman, Mass.) earned Third Team All-GNAC recognition after collecting five goals and three assists during conference play. Goalkeeper Oriana Attridge (Westwood, Mass.) also received Third Team All-GNAC honors after collecting six wins with a 1.57 goals against average and an .818 save percentage with 81 total saves.
Payton Fitzgerald (Danielson, Conn.) continued to contribute in her sophomore season, tying Kelly with six goals, including two game-winning goals, and three assists. Brianna Gaynor (Peabody, Mass.) was second on the team with four assists to go along with two goals.
Defensively, Jenna Novio (Rockland, Mass.) capped her collegiate career by starting 16 of 17 matches, playing a significant role in the team's success. Avery Finelli (Colchester, Vt.), Noelle Garcia (Los Angeles, Calif.), Emily Lange (Ashland, Mass.), and Kerri Urquhart (Burlington, Mass.) also made up Regis's line of defense in front of Attridge and fellow freshman goalie Angie Caldwell (Goffstown, N.H.).
Losing only Novio and Caileigh Darragh (Florence, Mass.) to graduation, the preseason expectations for Regis in 2019 should be higher, which will give the Pride a different set of motivating factors as they look to continue their advancement within the GNAC.