Shawsheen Girls' Soccer Prepare to Defend Title

The Shawsheen Tech Varsity girls' soccer team is back-to-back … to-back State Voke Champions, as well as defending league champions, and head coach Doug Michaud says replacing last year's stand-out players may be difficult, but he has confidence his team has what it takes to compete. 

Michaud describes last season as the best the program has had in about 12 years, and contributes some of that success to last year's seniors: league most valuable player, Jenna Zechnar, and another notable athlete, Jenn Carroll.

Last year's squad finished 21-3-1 after losing to Greater Lowell in the Div. 3 North semifinal.

"We had two really good players graduate, Jenna Zechnar and Jenn Carroll. You get points for goals and assists you score throughout the season, and Jenna had over 100 points in four years in our program, and the two girls combined had over 200 points," Michaud said.

With the loss of Zechnar and Carroll there are some big cleats to fill, and more girls than ever are willing to try to fill their spots.

For the 2010-11 seasons the captains are senior Danielle Hayes and junior Kimberly Barriss. Hayes will be a starting back for the Rams, and will bring her seniority and experience to the Rams' defensive. Barriss will also be along side her co-captain on the defensive line. With the co-captains protecting the net, it is safe to say it will be a tough task to get to the Rams' goalkeeper, senior Alyssa Martucci, this season. 

Other notable returners include midfielders Marissa Irwin and Rachel Blanchard. Returning defenders Sabrina Gomes and Taylor Bergstrom will also be forces adding to the depth of the Rams' defense. 

With such a strong defensive line-up, one would assume the Rams may be weak offensively. This isn't the case, however, as returning forwards Kristen Carroll and Erin Plunkett will combine forces with promising freshmen Rachel McLaren and Rebecca McLaren. With Carroll, Plunkett, and the McLaren sisters on defense, and the co-captains leading the defense, it is safe to say this well-rounded squad will be tough to beat this season.

Last year was the first time Shawsheen's girls soccer program had to cut players from the program. According to Michaud, the reason for the cuts is because of the high turn-out and limited field space.

"Every year there have been more girls trying out," Michaud said. "The first two years I coached we had 23 and then 24 girls try out, and this year 50 girls came to try out for the team. It would be great to keep everyone but we have a really small practice field and we just don't have the room due to the size restraints," Michaud said.

The Rams started off their season right on Friday with a 3-0  victory against Mystic Valley. In Rachel McLaren's high school soccer debut, she registered the Rams' first goal of the season. 

Next up, Shawsheen Tech. will take on North Shore Tech. away on Monday at 3:30 p.m.