A Change of Season
Bay path College's Wildcats soccer team ended the season with the best record ever (12-7-1), finishing second in the North Atlantic Conference while also beating historic rivals Becker College and Elms College. Under the guidance of Coach Todd Ditmar, the team behan its trek to the Conference Championships with guarded optimism in the fading days of summer...
Fall is a special time in New England. It's a time when playing sports in the cool, crisp autumn air is what living and going to school in New England is all about. Surrounded by the turning leaves of September, the Bay Path College Wildcats soccer team gathered on the newly manicured grass of Farmlea Field for its first practice. A talented group of young women, they knew they could be a good team if they stayed focused and unified. From the first day, ninth year Coach Todd Ditmar set the team's goal - to make the Conference Championships, and it became the team's driving vision in what was to be a roller coaster season and a testament to perseverance.
From the beginning, Coach Ditmar could see that this was a team that had tremendous potential. "They worked just as hard in practice as they did in an actual game. All the players were so committed. They made sure their school and life schedules were arranged so they could attend practices, and once on the field, all the players wore the same practice t-shirt and shorts. It put a mind set in place that we were all one and each and every one of us was important," he said. As the season unfolded, the team began to face unexpected challenges. Early on, star recruit Andrea Kowalski '05 suffered na ACL injury that removed her for the year, and setbacks to other players were to follow. But the support that each member of the team had for each other was inspirational...and contagious. At one point when the team was saddled with injuries, a student supporter accompanying the team on a long return trip from playiing turned to Coach Ditmar and said, "I'm going home and getting my cleats and joining the team. I played soccer in high school, and I'll be at practice tomorrow." It became a matter of not how many goals were scored and by whom, or how many games were won and by how much, but how each of them came together as family both on and off the field to achieve success. They were playing as a team.
In reality, the team was formed months before in the off-season during the important recruitment process and through the missionary zeal of team members. "It was apparent that everyone really cared about this team. Each year we've gotten better and it became easier to recruit because women want to play on a successful team. The coaches recruited...players recruited...even families recruited. We wanted to spread the word about the Bay Path Wildcats," according to tri-captain and thrid-year player Heidi Pero '03*. The reputation of the team had grown, and players, whether recruited or walk-ons, now had depth and skill...and a strong sense of commitment to go the distance.
As the season wore on, the momentum of the team accelerated. Junior Kerry Verdecchia set a school record with 50 career goals, and sophomore Michelle Frett set a single season scoring record wirth 21 goals. The North Atlantic Tournament loomed at the end of October. The Wildcats' first opponent in the tournament was Lesley College, and in front of hundreds of home-field fans, the Bay Path team won 6-1. "The fans really made a difference. This year hundreds of people showed up at Farmlea Field for the tournament games...they were unbelievable," exuberantly relates tri-captain Jackie Smegal '02.
On a picture-perfect fall Saturday in New England, the Wildcats' next tournament confrontation for the championship berth was with historic rival Becker College. Bay Path had never beaten Becker. This time it would be different. "Right from the start we convinced ourselves we could do it. Beat Becker. It was the best game this team has ever played," stated Coach Ditmar. In front of a crowd of over 400 people, Bay Path resoundingly defeated Becker, 4-0. Swept up by emotion, the players, coaching staff and fans hugged and congratulated each other in this benchmark victory. "It was the high point of the season," said tri-captain Andrea Fontaine '02. "As a graduating senior, it will be one of my most lasting memories."
The Wildcats quickly had to re-focus as the next day would be the Conference Tournament Championship game against Mt. Ida. Although the Wildcats were pumped and ready, the Mt. Ida team defeated Bay Path, 5-1, in a hard-fought final. In many ways, Bay Path had played the championshipgame the day before, but in the words of Coach Ditmar, "This really was a championship year."
What's the forecast for next season? With losing only two graduating seniors, all opinions are that it will be Bay Path's year in the North Atlantic Conference and it will emerge as a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA Division III New England ranks.
*Heidi Pero is currrently a Spring 2002 exchange student at Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia.
