Through its first seven games of the 2024-25 season, the Lasell women’s soccer team was 3-2-2. At this point of the season last year, the Lasers were 3-3-1. That roster won its next nine of thirteen games, powering the Lasers to another playoff appearance where the team would inevitably fall to Emmanuel, 1-0.
The Lasers have already scored ten goals this season, but that statistic does not matter for Head Coach Vito La Francesca, who now enters his 17th season. Following the Lasers’ most recent home game against St. Joseph (Conn.), La Francesca says the team let three or four scoring chances get away.
“I thought we dominated this game,” La Francesca said. “[St. Joseph] played well, won a lot of fifty-fifty balls, pressured [us into] a couple of mistakes that [they] converted into goals, but we didn’t take care of the opportunities in front of us.”
When asked about his plan to help the Lasers capitalize on specific offensive attacks, La Francesca emphasized execution and pace of play.
“We have to do a better job finishing inside the 18,” La Francesca said. “We’re going to do a lot of box organization drills to try to get [our players] to finish around the box and play quicker.”
Following the departures of midfielders Evelyn DiFiore and Bobbi O’Guin, as well as defenders Sophie Lewis and Grace Rava, the team’s mental make-up has been a storyline of the current season.
Junior goalkeeper Elizabeth DaSilva says the team has been attempting to strengthen its chemistry through collaborative exercises, which included an activity called “human knot,” as well as blindfolding a teammate who was led through an obstacle course.
“During the preseason and in our recent practices, we did a lot of trust-building games,” DaSilva said.
DaSilva adds that believing in her teammates, specifically the defenders, will help the team moving forward.
“The most important thing is trusting each other and knowing that we all have each other’s backs,” DaSilva said.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, La Francesca believes that everyone is working hard and the current seniors have been good leaders.
“Things haven’t fallen our way this year. [There were] two ties that [we] usually would have won in the past,” La Francesca said. “We got to do a better job refocusing as a whole and getting those leaders to reinforce that on their part.”
Senior forward Taylor Thompson, who played defense and midfield when first starting with the Lasers, agrees that the team needs to do a better job connecting passes and being more physical.
Taylor Thompson dribbling the ball against Saint Joe's (Conn.).
Photo Credit: Cam McNeil
“As long as we keep getting stronger and work on what we need to work on in the middle [of the field], we can be unstoppable,” said Thompson.
Despite the underwhelming start to the season, La Francesca has confidence in his team to turn the season around.
“We can turn those ties into wins,” said La Francesca.
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