SUNY Womens Soccer Ranked 11th

Cobleskill, N.Y.:  With the loss of 15 players from their 2016 squad which posted a 7-11 overall record including a 3-10 mark in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action, the SUNY Cobleskill Fighting Tigers will feature a number of new faces to go along with a new head coach in first-year mentor Rosie Kays. Cobleskill will also begin the 2017 ranked 11th in the NEAC Pre-Season Coaches Poll.

As the new season approaches Coach Kays feels that the new campaign offers a chance for a revamped roster to chart a new course for the program.

“This season we are going to lay a foundation to build upon for the future,” said Kays. “Replacing 15 players in one yearcomes with a series of unique challenges but our team and our coaching staff are excited to meet them together.”

Three returning players will be counted on heavily to help the many newcomers to the roster make the transition to the collegiate ranks this year.

In the net, sophomore goalkeeper Samantha Springstead, Staten Island, N.Y. Notre Dame Academy, returns between the pipes for Cobleskill after a rookie season that saw her post a 7-11 overall mark allowing 3.46 goals allowed per game. Springstead also recorded 203 saves during the year with a .781 save percentage.

In the field, sophomore midfielder/forward Michelle Giordano, Rockyhill, Conn., Middletown High School, returns after a freshman season that saw her score a pair of goals to go with four assists for a total of eight points as does sophomore defender/midfielder Kathleen Durma, Middletown, N.Y., Minisink High School, who scored one goal to go with one assist for a season total of three points.

Among the newcomers look for local product freshman defender/midfielder Marilyn Hanley, Middleburgh, N.Y., Middleburgh High School, as a potential defensive stopper with the ability to break up plays while freshman midfielder Jill Gordon, Rockyhill, Conn., Middletown High School, will be counted on to run the team’s offensive attack as a distributor and soccer. Up front freshman forward Marissa Olivieri, Tonawanda, N.Y., Kenmore East High School, has great shooting range with both feet and will be counted on to be a consistent offensive threat.

The Fighting Tigers will open the season on Friday September 1st when they travel to Albany, N.Y. to meet Sage College in a game to be played at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Athletic Complex beginning at 7:00 p.m.