Lincoln-Sudbury Girls Soccer Team Begins New Era

If the name Kate Berry sounds familiar in Lincoln-Sudbury soccer circles, it should.  One just needs to think back to the days before Alicia Carillo to figure out why.

Kate Berry was a senior striker on the 1994 Lincoln-Sudbury squad that went 16-0 in the regular season before losing in the Eastern Mass. semifinals.  In 2010, she begins her first year as head coach of the same program.

Berry served as an assistant coach to Alicia Carillo the past two years as she was groomed to take over the head coaching job at the varsity level.  Before that, Berry was the junior varsity coach.  This is her ninth year with Lincoln-Sudbury.

"[Carillo] is a fabulous coach and has been an excellent mentor for me," said Berry.  "I've gotten a lot of guidance from her and I'm hopeful I've been putting my stamp on [the program] as well.  Not everything I do looks like the way she did it – I need to have my own personal touch on the program, and I believe I have brought that.  I've been very lucky to have worked with her and learned a lot from her."

Berry will rely on the leadership of her returning players to help her first season as head coach be a successful one.  She has 12 returning varsity players – four sophomores,  juniors and seniors.

One of those returning players is sophomore goaltender Katie Fia, who as a backup  a year ago watched senior Leah Sax record 9 shutouts in the team's 12 wins. 

"Katie brings a lot of technical ability and confidence to the field," said Berry.  "I have a lot of confidence in her. I think her teammates do, too.  She plays with a lot more experience than [what] maybe shows on paper."

Senior captains Cassie Bursma and Eliza Feston bring a defensive presence to the game as starting center back and holding center-mid, respectively.  Berry said though she feels the team is strong defensively, she is hoping they score their share of goals.  Madison Acton will be one player to watch in that department.  The junior striker is the only returning starter at the position, and brings verbal leadership to the field, Berry said.

Other returning players include Megan Addeo, who started last year as an outside midfielder and will move to the middle as a sophomore this year, and Rachel Sexton, who is in her third year on the varsity and played almost every minute of every game last year at outside back. 

With the preseason practices wrapped up, Berry will begin the week leading up to the team's regular-season opener with a two-hour session devoted to bonding and goal-setting. 

And having a head coach with a winning background helps a little, too.