The Marist women’s soccer team did not achieve much success last season, finishing with just two wins and missing the MAAC tournament in head coach Nicole Pacapelli’s first go around with the squad.
Coming off a 2-5-3 MAAC record in 2023, the Red Foxes were ranked 10th in the MAAC preseason poll this season, only in front of Manhattan, Saint Peter’s and Iona.
“We’re all very excited because I feel like our ranking in the preseason poll doesn’t define who we are,” senior defender and captain Bella Lazzaro said. “We’re ready to shake up the MAAC.”
While it might be tough to find the bright spots in a season with few results, an opportunity for reassessment and finding points of improvement presented itself for Marist.
“I think the whole team dynamic is completely different,” Pacapelli said. “When I look at who played on the field, who didn’t play on the field, our culture, our mindset, our mentality, we’ve just grown so much and it excites me because there’s a lot of buy-in and potential in what we’re trying to do.”
A change in team dynamic was a predictable outcome, as 16 new players joined the squad this year. That total of freshmen and transfers beats out the 15 players who returned to the roster this year.
Meshing those two squads could have been a tall task, yet the team blended well together early on in the preseason.
“I think that the idea of it was more intimidating,” said Lazzaro. “But since the second we stepped foot on campus, everybody integrated so well…I feel like overall we did a very good job of making the team more whole.”
Generating goals was a struggle for Marist last year, as they tallied just five goals all season and had zero games with multiple goals. That same battle to score goals has been apparent to start off this season, as only one had found the back of the net as the team posted a 0-3-1 record in their first four games.
That has begun to change over the last two games however. The Red Foxes led the shot category 15-9 and created seven corner kicks in their last non-conference matchup against Navy.
While Marist lost that game 2-1, they built off that performance with a 2-0 victory against Saint Peter’s in their first MAAC game of the season, leading the shot category again (13-12) and aiming seven of those 13 shots on goal. Graduate student midfielder/forward Maille McDermott has been a big boost in that realm. The transfer out of Seton Hall has scored three goals in six games with her new club.
Senior midfielder and captain Olivia Lindsay and McDermott have pushed up the field noticeably in those last two matches, which has provided the Red Foxes with the much needed spark on offense.
“[We must] continue to shoot the ball,” said Lindsay. “We have such skilled players on this team and we’re finally coming together now at the perfect time. While that Navy game was a tough loss, if you look at the box score, we battled and should’ve came on top in that game.”
Regardless of how things have picked up in the last two games, Marist still has just one win in six matches thus far. Gauging the team off their record, however, does not do it justice in the eyes of Pacapelli.
“People could look at our record, but they really shouldn’t be judging us unless they’ve watched each and every one of our 90 minute games,” said Pacapelli. “What happened in those 90 minute games is a whole lot different than what our actual record is. At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important and our improvement is tremendous.”
Rounding out the captains is junior goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti. Catalanotti showed what she’s capable of in net last season, making 51 saves and racking up four shutouts in 15 games played. She’s set a standard for herself this season after learning more about her opponents in 2023.
“Last year everything was new,” said Catalanotti. “Every team [we faced], I was prepared, but not as much as I could be. I think this year, I know going in each team is going to be different and I know more of what to expect. I’m more comfortable and definitely have more confidence…just expectations really are higher.”
Protecting Catalanotti is a defense led by Lazzaro, with newcomers in freshman Jane Brooks and graduate student Keegan Mayer already being forces on that side of the field as well. Lazzaro is one of just four seniors on the team.
“Knowing that this is my last season playing, it’s a leave it all out on the field mentality,” Lazzaro said. “There’s definitely a different level of appreciation that I don’t think I had before necessarily, but I just come every day and try to enjoy it.”
The gritty victory against Saint Peter’s was catalyzed by success on both sides of the ball, with some minor adjustments on the field also contributing. One point has remained consistent through it all though, and that is the emphasis on culture from Pacapelli. That emphasis on culture has seemingly resonated throughout the entire team, with a strong bond being evident each time Marist takes the field.
“We talk every day about being a family,” Pacapelli said. “We put words to our playing identity, so we talk about being creative and exciting in our attack. We talk about being gutsy and disciplined in how we defend… and striving for excellence in all that we do.”
Overall, a young squad with new additions joining key returning players will continue to strive for increased aggression and competitiveness compared to last year. If they maintain their recent offensive momentum, Marist can exceed expectations in the MAAC.
After picking up that first win of the season against Saint Peter’s, Marist will turn their attention to a road matchup in Sacred Heart on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Graphic by Raegan VanZandt; Photos from Marist Athletics and Ricky Torres
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