By Sean Savage
@SeanSav13
Zeal has filled Alden Street in the first weeks of the Fall semester: students are thrilled to be back on campus. Some of that excitement is accredited to eight fall sports teams beginning their seasons, seven of which are highlighted below.
Field Hockey
After an utterly dominant 5-0 win on Tuesday, Sept. 10 against Eastern Connecticut on the back of an Anna Beck hat trick, the Springfield College field hockey team looks to pick up three more wins, part of a four-game home stand.
The Pride started the season with two hard-fought losses to Keene State, 3-0, and No. 14 Amherst, 5-0.
Following those outings, the team picked up its first win against Western Connecticut, 1-0. Hailey Gaydos slotted the game-winning goal, and Nicolette Morlock picked up the assist.
The team will be tested late in the season with four important NEWMAC games. The toughest challenge will ensue on Oct. 19 against No. 4 Babson, a team known for its offensive prowess. Over the last decade, the Beavers, who lost in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey tournament last November, have stunted the Pride four times in the NEWMACs.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer team added a blend of new talent ahead of the new season. In addition to rostering 13 first-years, the team returned four graduate students: Madison Daly, Jen Walker, Gabby Scott and Maddie Daigneault. Each leader upholds a prolific reading of the game alongside unparalleled talent.
The four have been critical in the team’s early success.
Moreover, junior Kaitlyn Suller is back in action for the Pride. She – alongside junior Meredith Healy, who totaled three goals and six assists through 19 games last season – were selected to the 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team.
Through Suller’s three years on the Pride, she has asserted herself as an orchestrator on offense and a defensive powerhouse.
However, as aforementioned, it’s not only the upperclassmen bringing the heat.
Summer Chong, a sophomore, got called up to train with the Singapore Women’s National Team at a 10-day training camp in Saudi Arabia. She will likely look to step into a bigger role this year. First-year Ryan Prystowski – hailing from Westfield, Mass. – has also shown out early in the season. She has a goal and an assist through three games and 122 minutes of play.
Fellow first-years Rosie Turbett scored a hat trick in her first career game and Mia Salmon, who also scored an early goal.
The team will be tested on Saturday, Oct. 12, in a class at Brock-Affleck field against MIT, who beat the Pride last year, 6-1, in the NEWMAC semifinals.
Men’s Soccer
“They are a lot of fun to be around,” head coach Tommy Crabill described. Moreover, he touted how “everybody is contributing,” making the season ahead more exciting.
After kicking off the season with a somewhat rocky start – dropping games to Gordon and Vassar while drawing with Albertus Magnus – the Pride were able to turn it around. On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the team faced Curry College on the road and walked away with a 3-0 win. Sophomore Connor Policarpio found the back of the net in the 80th minute and bagged an assist.
“We are still learning how to be our most competitive selves and how to battle through our most competitive games,” Crabill said.
The team is adapting to several changes, including a new formation and pressing system, along with rostering an eye-catching 12 first-years. While some of the changes require learning the X’s and O’s on the field, another large factor is creating a positive team culture.
“We spend a lot of time together off the field, learning what drives and motivates us,” Crabill said. “Our preseason is jam-packed with a lot of team building.”
Some events included a hike, a trip to East Campus and a cookout. Crabill and his crew hope the work put in ahead of time will jolt them to much success.
Women’s Volleyball
Moira Long and the Springfield College women’s volleyball team are hunting down a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. In its most recent outing – the RIT Invitational – Long and Co. swept the competition and tacked on three more wins on the new season. The last game, against the hosts where the Pride won 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-13, 25-15), marked Long’s 600th career win – eclipsing a 600-270 record.
Senior Riley Donahue, the reigning player of the year in the NEWMAC is one of those players every team will mark as someone to watch. Last season, she led the team with 408 kills and placed in the top five in digs, blocks and service aces.
Moreover, returners Maeve Voltz and Natalie Billet were named to the All-Conference team last year, while sophomore setter Tori Colosimo is looking to join them. Colosimo and Voltz anchored the block last year, combining for 197 blocks.
The team lost libero Ally Townsend, but replaced her with another graduate transfer, Kristen DeLorenzo.
The Pride have high hopes for its next invitational at Brandeis. If the team can set success through the three-games, it will serve as fuel for a five-game NEWMAC stretch – starting on Sept. 24.
Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team has much to look forward to after a strong start to their season at the Wellesley College Invitational. The Pride finished with 68 points – good enough for third – behind Coast Guard and WPI. The 5k featured 66 runners, and senior Joe Wong set the tone, posting an 11th-place time of 16:31.3. In the second meet at the Trinity College Invitational, the Pride finished eighth of 11. They will look to turn it around ahead of their next meet on Sept. 21 at Dartmouth, Mass.
Women’s Cross Country
The women’s cross country team has competed in the same two meets as the men thus far while seeing quite similar results in each outing. In Wellesley, Mass., the Pride finished fifth place before turning in a sixth palace performance at the Trinity College Invitational. Maddie Shea had consecutive noteworthy performances. She paced the Pride with a time of 18:59.2 – finishing ninth out of 103 runners – in their first meet and then upped the ante with a seventh-place finish at Manchester, Conn. A date likely marked on their schedule is Nov. 16, which represents the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships.
Golf
All 14 Springfield College men’s golf team members are looking to clinch a spot at the NEIGA Championships, which rolls around on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Justin Acquarulo is riding a hot hand into the new season. In June, he was named to the at-large CSC Academic All-District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators. The distinguished award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined sports and classroom performances.
At the helm of the team is Joe Eadie, who is entering his 32nd season as the men’s head golf coach. The Fenway professional has been described as a crucial and jovial element to the team. Eadie provides his players with the perfect balance between being a jokester and a leader. Those qualities ripple through the team and will likely help the four first-year players adjust to a bigger stage than they are used to.
Players have the opportunity to receive invitations from four different venues ahead of the NEIGA Championships. Notably, players will look to clinch a spot at the MASCAC Championships, which will take place on Sept. 28 and 29.
Senior Nicholas DeMaio helped the team secure first place of five last year at the MASCAC by turning in 10 pars and four birdies. DeMaio, along with David Girouard, Jack Diefenderfer and Amir Ardolino, appeared at the NCAA Division III Championships in May 2024 and will hope to do the same this season.
Photo: Springfield College Athletics