Girls Soccer Rout Chicopee 7-0 in Pre-Season Play

After winning the Western Massachusetts Finals last season, head coach Terrence Leahy and his Spartans are hoping for a similar outcome for this upcoming season.

Losing the talents of 2021 All-New England Athletes Haley Brown and Emma Catanzarite left some big shoes to fill, but freshman Emma Sousa is one of many up for the challenge.

Outscoring their opponents 7-0, the Spartans triumphed to victory in their scrimmage over the Chicopee Pacers Wednesday afternoon, with Sousa accountable for four of those goals. Other contributions on the scoreboard came from Addie Jordan, Kenna Marino, and Megan Morneau. 

Other teammates competing for offensive production are senior captain Kayleigh Lukasik and senior defensive-midfielder Tia Tollis. The two combined for 8 shots on goal in the 7-0 blowout.

“It’s going to be much more of a collection,” Coach Leahy said of the roster’s offense. “If it’s not Emma or Addy, Kayleigh and Meg are going to be flying through.”

In the backend of the field, there’s no doubt in Leahy’s mind that 2021 All-State goaltender and this year’s second senior captain Taylor Deflorio will keep the defensive side of the field locked down.

“Obviously, it’s nice to have a goalkeeper that gives you a foundation and being able to build off of that,” Leahy said.

Overall, the biggest difference between last year and this year is the diversity amongst grades on the roster.

“We’ve got a lot of balance from seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen,” Leahy said. 

No matter how different this year’s roster is to the previous year’s, their confidence level and standards are still very high.

“I think we’re going to be right in the mix,” Leahy said. “This program always competes at the highest levels, and we definitely have the talent.”

Although teams around the county may underestimate this year’s team, Leahy claims they are going to “surprise some people in the room quietly.”

Change and variance isn’t a bad thing, and that’s what Leahy is trying to prove with his roster this year. Putting the negative stereotypes of those differences to his advantage, Leahy and his team are striving to become back-to-back Western Massachusetts Champions.

The Spartans’ official home opener is next Tuesday vs. Southwick at 7pm.