Despite losing 1-0 in the championship game, the Mount Mercy Academy soccer team had a strong and successful season. The team finished with a 5-2-1 league record and with all but four players returning to the field in 2021, hopes are high that the outcome of the championship game will be reversed.
Both Coach Maddie Higgins and I expected we would win the championship because we still believe we are the better team. We pass the ball well and work together as a team,” Head Coach Brittany Myers stated. “But sometimes a soccer game comes down to that 80 minutes and can be the result of the ball just not hitting the back of the net.”
The Magic had four players earn post season honors. Representing the team on the First Team All-Catholic squad were seniors Gianna Lauciello (Orchard Park) and Anna Schieber (Buffalo), junior Mary Bea Lalley and sophomore Madelyn Hart (Buffalo). Although the team will definitely miss the talents of the two seniors, Myers is encouraged by the players who will return next season.
In addition to Lalley and Hart, the team will also have its top two goal scorers and its strong goalie back in action. Freshman Rosie Bandura (West Seneca) led the team with 10 goals and added four assists. Myers said Bandura is a great technical player and she is excited to watch Bandura’s growth. Junior Mya Wood (Blasdell) had seven goals and four assists. Freshman Amelia Lalley (Buffalo) was the team’s goalie and according to Myers she is a strong goalie who kept the team in its big games this season. She also noted that all of the underclassmen are strong players.
Highlights for the coaches and team this season were defeating Mount Saint Mary 4-0, an A Division opponent, and dominating Central Christian 8-1 on Senior Day. During that game senior Emily Kessler (West Seneca) scored three of her six goals on the year. She also had seven assists this year. Schieber, normally the back line defender, also scored a goal.
In addition to Lauciello, Schieber and Kessler, the team will also lose senior Megan Reilly.
“We will miss the dedication and leadership of the seniors. All four women represent Mt. Mercy well and are the true definition of what a Mercy girl is,” Myers concluded. “They all have been very committed to their team and are very respectful to their coaches and their teammates. They have set the bar high for future captains/seniors.”
