MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers, the defending Sunshine State Conference women's soccer champs, open the regular season on Friday, Sept. 2 at 6:00 pm against the Lenior-Rhyne Bears at Buccaneer Field.
The Bears (12-4-2) finished ranked eighth in the Southeast Region last season, falling in penalty kicks to Anderson in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The Bucs have won all three meetings with the Bears, including a 3-0 win in Savannah, Ga., last season. The Bears lost their top three scorers, but return senior keeper Andrea Leano who compiled a 0.89 goals against average in 15 starts.
There are a host of new faces on the team for the 2016 season, including new head coach Sarah Dacey, as the Bucs look to build on their 15-3-1 mark and NCAA Quarterfinal finish from a year ago.
"This season is a chance to prove ourselves after losing a very strong senior class," Dacey said. "We will need our experienced players to step up into new roles and be difference makers. The expectations from within the program are high, and we look to have several players to be major contributors to help us to be as successful as possible as the season progresses. This group is excited to showcase their talent and prove that they can continue being successful."
The Bucs do retain a solid core of players back for another run this year, including All-SSC picks Paula Forero, Katie Turner, Christy Grimshaw and Amanda Traynor.
Keepers
Forero, who won all-conference and all-region honors last season, is back between the pipes for her senior year. The 5-7 Colombian led the SSC with 15 wins and 10 shutouts and was second with a 0.76 goals against average. She played all but 8:22 in goal for the Bucs last season and recorded an 81.2 save percentage.
Isabella Arbelaez and Maddie Hart-Pomerantz provide depth at the position. Arbelaez took a red-shirt last season, but was a standout at Doral Academy as a senior, earning All-Dade County. Hart-Pomerantz was a three-year starter at Arcata High in California, going 54-9-1 with 41 shutouts.
Defenders
Turner, the 2014 SSC so-Defensive Player of the Year, returns to lead the back line. Out of the last 4437 minutes, she's been on the pitch for 4425 of them as the Bucs have gone 34-6-7 with 24 shutouts.
Shannell McDonnell, who started the last 10 game of 2015 at right back, returns for her senior year as well, while Jade Adams, who started the first nine games at right back slides over into the center slot opened when Amber Smith graduated.
Senior transfer Breia Pierce from South Carolina State completes the starting quartet and brings great speed and athleticism to the left side.
Seniors Linnea Kogsta and Tamara Castillo, sophomore Ingrid Lian and freshmen Nicole Rafols, Sawyer Hall and Marivi Daza give the coaches a deep unit. Kogsta and Lian appeared in 13 and 12 games respectively last season.
Midfield
Grimshaw and Traynor highlight the midfield unit. Grimshaw, the 2014 SSC Freshman of the Year and 2015 SSC Tournament MVP, is the engine for the Bucs from defensive center position. She maintains control in the midfield and is the primary bridge to the forward unit. She earned first team All-SSC last season after scoring five goals and adding three assists. Traynor, who was a second team pick in the conference, was tied for the team lead with seven assists and chipped in six goals. Both Grimshaw and Traynor chipped in three game-winners.
Sophomores Brittany Larosa, Hannah Durocher and Molly Sharpe also look to see extended looks in the midfield along with sophomore transfer Carissa Sanchez. Junior transfer Megan Stow along with freshmen Sarah Wignall, Brianna Subervi, Sandy Benito and Sofia de la Puente also should see time.
Forwards
Rayah Seckler, who was named to the SSC All-Tournament team, highlights the forward unit along with Alissa Bello and freshman Maria Vega. Sanchez, Sharpe, de la Puente and Subervi could also see time with the unit.
Outlook
"Obviously our conference is very good and we will face some tough challenges in our conference," Dacey said, "but the goal is to defend our three straight championships and go as far as we possibly can in the NCAA tournament. Nothing will be easy for us as our schedule is extremely difficult. We are looking forward to improving each week and seeing the makeup of this group of players."
