The 2003 Plymouth State fall sports season came to a close with many accomplishments and defeats for both teams and individuals.
This year’s Plymouth State volleyball program finished with one of the most successful seasons in their eight year history as a varsity sport with a record of 29-8 and qualifying for the ECAC tournament for the second straight year. The Panther volleyball team also made it to the finals of the Little East conference tournament, but in the end lost to Western Connecticut in straight sets.
Five Plymouth State volleyball players were also named to the Little East Conference 2003 All-Star Team. Senior middle hitter Becky Landry earned the highest honor being named the LEC Offensive Player of the Year and was also named as a First Team All-Star. Sophomores Kelly Landry and Amanda Bagwell were also named to the First Team. Seniors Carin LaValley and Sonia Trudell were named to the Second Team for their excellent play throughout the season.
Plymouth State Field Hockey had themselves a strong season, finishing with a record of 12-7. For the past three seasons, Plymouth State was the team to beat in the LEC, making the NCAA Division Tournament in all three years. This year, however, they lost to a strong USM squad in the semifinals of the LEC tournament. USM went on to win the LEC crown and advance to the NCAA’s. Plymouth then received the number four bid in the ECAC tournament, only to be eliminated by Clark University in the first round by a score of 3-1.
Despite the lack championships for the season, the Panther Field Hockey team came away with a few individual honors. Senior back Whitney Swaffield and sophomore forward Lilly Silva were selected to the All-LEC First Team. Junior back Annie Metz was named to the Second Team. Freshman forward Melanie Bates was also named the LEC Rookie of the Year, so the future seems bright for Field Hockey to get back to its winning form next season.
This season for Panther Football was another disappointing one. Plymouth Football finished the year 0-10 for its second consecutive winless season. The Panthers scored just thirty-four points in the season while giving up four hundred and twenty to their opponents. One of the lone bright spots on the season was Panther freshman Dan Fallon, whom was named the FFC Rookie of the Year. This team was a young one and is sure to have gained much experience for the future years ahead.
Women?s soccer had an exciting new look for this year?s season. With a very strong incoming freshman class, the Panthers finished third in the LEC with a record of 10-7-1 and qualified with the sixth seed in the ECAC tournament. Seniors Katie Sheridan and Cathy Berei were also honored with some postseason awards for their efforts on and off the field. Sheridan was named the LEC Defensive Player of the Year and was also selected as a First Team All-Star. Berei was named to the Second Team and was also selected to the 2003 Academic All-District I Women?s Soccer Team. This team looks very promising for next year and looks to be a force in the run for the LEC championship next fall.
The women?s tennis program had a fairly good season, posting a record of 5-5 overall and 3-2 in the LEC. The Panthers held the annual LEC tournament at home this season and did fairly well, placing fourth out of six teams and coming away with one singles championship and one singles runner-up title. Sophomore Rachel Xavier captured the title at number four singles play, defeating RIC freshman Tara Marchant by a score of 7-5, 6-0. Senior Katie Olsen lost in the number two singles final to RIC senior Carminda Rocha by a score of 6-3, 7-5. Another great achievement by Xavier this season was the fact that she went undefeated in LEC singles play, never losing a set to a LEC opponent all season.
The Men?s Soccer program had an outstanding season, becoming one of the top teams to beat in the region. The Panthers were ranked as high as third in New England and went as high as eighteenth in the Division III National Standings. Men?s soccer finished their excellent season with a record of 12-4-3 and shared the LEC regular season championship with Keene State, earning the number one seed in the LEC tournament. The Panthers also qualified as the second seed in the ECAC tournament, but were unfortunately knocked out in the semifinals by Keene State in an overtime thriller here at Panther Field last Saturday, 3-2.
Many players also received many post-season awards. Senior Kyle Bowman was selected as a First Team All-Star while seniors Brad Wilby, Nick Libera, Steve Libera, junior Sebastian Rodriguez and freshman Felix Rosen were all named to the Second Team. Plymouth State Men?s soccer had one of the most stifling defenses this year. At one point, Brad Wilby and the Plymouth State defense recorded six straight shut outs, an achievement that should not be overlooked when looking back upon this season.
Congratulations to all athletes and their achievements on and off the field this fall. Thanks to the coaches for guiding the athletes and thanks to the fans for having Panther Pride and supporting the teams. Great season to all.