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08/31/2020 12:00 AMThe Morgan girls’ soccer squad had a challenging season that was marred with injuries in 2019, but the Huskies still earned a trip to the Class M State Tournament. Morgan went 6-7-4 on the year thanks in part to solid senior leadership and contributions throughout the roster.
This year, the Huskies are hoping health won’t be as much of a factor, and the experience that many players earned stepping into new roles last season pay dividends this campaign.
Head Coach Steve Sullivan knows that sustained success isn’t easy with constantly rotating rosters. The Huskies had won Shoreline Conference championship the campaign prior to 2019, but after graduating many senior contributors, a repeat didn’t happen. Add on the injury troubles, and that made for a tougher road. Still, Coach Sullivan felt proud of the way his team persevered through difficult circumstances.
“We lost a tremendous amount of talent from the year before. We didn’t get back to the Shorelines, but we did get to states. There were a lot of strong teams in the league last year. We got to states midway through the season,” Sullivan said. “We played a strong Watertown team at states. Not that it’s an excuse, we had a few injuries that set us back, but overall we did a good job.”
In 2020, Coach Sulllivan expects his squad will be a contender in the Shoreline Conference, thanks to plenty of talent throughout the roster.
“Shorelines are definitely within reach. I definitely think that we’re capable this year, especially with some of the younger players’ improvement,” Sullivan said. “We have a couple of freshmen that are showing tremendous promise. I definitely think we can get back near the top of the Shorelines.”
Leading the Huskies this season will be senior captains Carley Schmidt, Catie Donadio, and Olivia Riccio. Sullivan trusts that his leaders will help pave a path to several victories. Each of his captains will be roaming different parts of the field, which is always helpful.
Schmidt will be on the attack as a forward, and last year, she led the team with 13 goals. Sullivan is hoping that she won’t have to bear the brunt of the scoring load this season.
“Carley’s definitely a leader. I allow the kids to vote and have their say on captains, and Carley earned a lot of support from her teammates,” Sullivan said. “Depending on the formation, she’s normally up there as a striker and a forward. I think we have a few more players that can complement Carley in terms of ability and pace.”
Donadio has already proven her leadership skills as a captain of the Huskies’ girls’ basketball team. Coach Sullivan said that Donadio is a gifted athlete, and he’s grateful to have her out on the pitch, patrolling the midfield.
“Catie’s a great basketball player, and she’s a tremendous leader. Her basketball skills transfer over to soccer well,” Sullivan said. “Catie will do whatever is necessary. She’s that kid who can get you that important goal. She’s a great distributor of the ball, and she has a knack for reading the game.”
Riccio will be manning the backfield as a defender, like she did last season. Coach Sullivan knows that whatever the challenge, Riccio won’t shy away.
“Olivia will be on defense again this year as one of the center backs,” said Sullivan. “She’s a very courageous kid, and she’s really tough. She’s also a very good distributor of the ball. She’s also good at reading the game, much like Catie.”
The last line of defense will be senior goalkeeper Emma Lindsay, who played backup goalie last year behind Natalie Novarro. Lindsay has been putting in the work to get better, and Sullivan is excited to see her in net.
“Emma is going to be the No. 1 candidate in goal. She’s played a back up role there, and she’s really worked at the game. She’s really become a student of the game,” Sullivan said. “I love her communication. She’s very positive, and she does a good job organizing the kids. You don’t always get a goalkeeper who’s that vocal, but she’s excellent at it.”
Among the other seniors that are expected to pick up significant playing time are Clara Franzoni, Genna Rauccio, Maddie Corgan, Britney Selena Ortiz, and Leah Burdick. Each will help fill out the field for the Huskies.
“Clara and Genna got a lot of time last year, and they’ll probably be somewhere in the midfield. Leah will see a fair amount of playing time. She’s going to be in the midfield or possibly up top as a forward,” Sullivan said. “Maddie will be one of the outside backs in a defensive role. She’s very physically strong player and she’s improved quite a bit over the years. She’s got great pace and great speed. Britney will be in a defensive role. She’s a smaller kid, but she’s got good instincts. She’s excellent at defending one-on-one. She just an extremely intelligent player.”
As for juniors, Jessica Flanagan makes her return after having to miss part of last season. There’s also Natalia and Angelina Comiskey who will add some depth all over the field. Caitlin Steahle and Julia Tanner also played significant minutes last season, and expect to this year as well.
“We lost Jessica partway through the season last year. She’ll be a huge addition back, and she’s been working really hard at her rehab. Caitlin will be seeing some defensive minutes or a midfield role,” said Sullivan. “Natalia can play pretty much from forward to defense, while Angelina will probably see some time at goal filling in for Emma. She’s predominately a goalkeeper, but she has worked in a midfield role like her sister, and she’s really come a long way. Julia worked her way into a starting position on varsity last year and she did very well. She plays center back, and she fit a role that we desperately needed.”
Some of the young talent returning as sophomores this year are Katie Martin, Caeley Ayer, and Emily Smith. Coach Sullivan decided to bring them up to the varsity team last season, and they’ll be there this year, too.
“Katie will be in the midfield. She’s an extremely talented player who started a lot of games last year for us and saw a lot of minutes,” Sullivan said. “Caeley will probably be a striker or a forward along with Carley Schmidt, and Emily will be in the midfield or in a defensive role.”
This season will pose its own challenges for all teams given the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is having around the world. With a limited schedule, the Huskies will be playing only their Shoreline Conference opponents. Even as the team begins its conditioning program, there will be a great deal of administration concerns to take care of. Still, Coach Sullivan is excited to see his athletes go out and compete.
“This year since we’re losing all those non-conference games that will definitely change things. As of right now there are 12 teams in the Shoreline, and we’ll all play each other 11 times. You don’t want the kids playing soccer six or seven days a week during a pandemic,” said Sullivan. “We do have a lot time for preseason conditioning. There’s going to be a health form that fill out everyday for every kid. There will be a checklist that we will go off everyday. That’s a good thing, to have that documentation. There are a lot of things to figure out in a short period time.”