Bay Path Soccer has Record-Setting Season
LONGMEADOW - Bay Path College has concluded its best soccer season ever, winning the North Atlantic Conference and moving on to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Although they lost November 10th in the first round of the NCAA tournament - 4-0 to Montclair State, a school 10 times their size - the coach and players couldn't be more excited about thier year.
According to coach Todd Ditmar, son of former Yankee pitcher Art Ditmar, there are 1,700 students at Bay Path. Of those, only about 600 are traditional students from which players are drawn. "We are like a small high school," he said. Yet their record for the season was 23-1, and Bay Path was one of only five teams in the conference with 20 wins or more.
Ditmar noted that four of his players - senior co-captain Andrea Kowalski of Northampton, junior co-captain Cheryl Kuczynski of Southampton, sophomore Devon Lauchman of Easthampton and freshman Andrea Janik of Agawam - were named to the conference's first team. "Only 11 players made the team," he said.
"When I came here 12 years ago, my dream was to go to the NCAA tournament, but I never though we'd make it," the coach said. However, when the school acquired the fields at the end of Farmlea Road off Longmeadow Street about seven years ago, it changed the program dramatically. Before then, the women played in Forest Park.
"The new fields helped with recruiting," Ditmar said, making it possible to bring in some of the best high school players in Western Massachusetts. Two of them, Janik and Kuczynksi, were three-time All Western Massachusetts and All State high school players.
This year, Janik was named Rookie of the Year in the North Atlantic Conference. "As a freshman, I wasn't sure what to expect from the team," she said. Her brother played on the University of Maine's victorious NCAA Division I hockey team a few years back, so "for me to be a part of something like that is special," she said.
"We have a great team," Kuczynski said. "Everyone is very dedicated, and we get a lot of support from faculty and parents." She noted that many fans traveled to New Jersey to cheer at the tournament game, including the president of the college, Carol Leary, and her husband Noel.
Kowalski cited defense as key to their winning record. "Our defense is unstoppable," she said.
Because Kowalski missed her entire first season due to a knee injury, she is hoping to stay on to play out her eligibility next year. "This is probably one of the best seasons I've had and the best group of girls I've ever played with," she said. "They are passionate about being competitive. WE are all very close."
Ditmar, who has a business degree from the University of Massachusetts, works full time at MassMutual Financial Group. Coaching is a part-time job.
"The best part about it is that they are a great bunch of girls," he said. He is proud of his team and his recruiting efforts. "I want this to be fun for them," he said. "And I want to make a difference in their lives."
