KP’s Snead Signs Contract to Play Pro Soccer in Norway

Avery Snead
Former King Philip star Avery Snead, pictured here playing for Providence College against Marquette, has signed a contract to play professional soccer in Norway. (Brian Foley for Foley Photography)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

When her middle school yearbook asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up,’ Avery Snead had only one answer. She wanted to be a professional soccer player. Now, after finishing a grad season at Indiana University, the former King Philip star will be fulfilling that dream. Just this week, Snead signed a professional contract to play for Bodø/Glimt in the Norwegian Toppserien.

“It’s just something you say,” Snead joked a few days before flying out to Norway to join her new team. “I’m sure a million people said professional football players or whatever. Once college hit and I started to gain a little success and I realized how much I still loved it, I knew it was attainable.”

“From then on it was just putting in the work and performing and, yeah, here I am.”

At the end of the Big Ten season, Snead was referred to Inspired XI, a sports agency dedicated to women’s sports, by one of her former coaches at Providence College. Right away, her agent started reaching out to clubs inside the United States and in Europe. There was significant interest from a team in Galway, Ireland (“I thought I was moving to Ireland for three weeks,” Snead said) but the contract process was delayed and a team from Spain and Bodø/Glimt stepped in.

“I was on a ski trip with my family when my agent told me that I had a call with Bodø/Glimt the next morning,” Snead explained. “I was very interested and hearing from the coach and seeing his vision for the team next year and me fitting into the team, I was just very impressed with him and what he had to say about the club.”

This will be an interesting transition for Snead on and off the field. Bodø is located above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway. A conversation with former St. John’s University standout Claudia Nicole Cagnina, who has played for Bodø/Glimt for the past two seasons helped allay any fears about dealing with the weather that far north.

“She had amazing things to say,” Snead explained. “She said, ‘I love the team, it’s a great environment, good culture, I love living in Norway.’ She said, ‘Honestly it’s just like Long Island and probably like Boston too.’”

While the location might be daunting, Bodø/Glimt has had a lot of recent success on the men’s side, for example playing in the latter stages of the Europa League and playing against some of Europe’s elite teams like Manchester United and Roma. The funds earned from those exploits have laid the foundation for top-notch facilities for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Bodø/Glimt’s women’s team was promoted to the Norwegian top flight at the end of last season. It will begin its Toppserien campaign at the end of March, giving Snead several weeks of preseason to get acclimated to her new teammates, new coaches, and the new locale.

“That’s also something I really liked about the club is that I wouldn’t have to be joining a team midseason and just be the new person who doesn’t know anything and try to fit in,” she explained. “I’m excited that I have almost two months to get situated.”

After twice being named Hockomock League MVP, earning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year and Player of the Year honors, and being named All-New England as a junior, Snead spent four years at Providence College. She recorded 13 points (six goals and an assist) and played more than 6,200 minutes in the heart of the PC defense.

Her awards at PC included All-BIG EAST Second Team (2021, 2023), United Soccer Coaches All-East Region (2023), NEWISA All-New England First Team (2023), NEWISA Senior Bowl (2023), NEWISA All-New England Second Team (2022, 2021), BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2020-21.

This past fall, Snead made the leap from PC to the Big Ten, joining Indiana as a grad student. She scored three goals and had three assists for the Hoosiers, although Indiana’s final record wasn’t what she had hoped for when transferring. Regardless of

“I still grew so much as a player and a person and I learned so much leaving my little Providence bubble and going to a big school and having to fight for my spot in a new environment,” she said. “It was an awesome experience.”

Asked if moving to Indiana and having to compete in a new environment would help her with the much farther move to Norway, Snead replied, “One hundred percent. If I had stayed at Providence, I would’ve felt very comfortable and very close to home, which is awesome for the four years but leaving and getting out of my comfort zone was the next step I needed to take.”

“I’m happy I did that because I feel more comfortable doing something even crazier now.”

With her move just a couple days away, Snead was busy trying to figure out how to pack for a season that would stretch from late March to at least the end of June. She will get a break in July, as the league will take the month off during the Women’s European Championships, and then play from August through November.

It’s still sinking in that she is packing to start her professional soccer career.

She said, “I’m so excited, I can’t even explain it. I always knew that I wanted to play and it wasn’t until like the past couple years where I was really serious about it.” Spending last summer playing in a league for the NWSL’s Racing Lousville, Snead was convinced she was ready for a pro career, wherever it landed her. “I thought this is something I really want to do even if it’s not in the United States. I would love to go abroad and travel and get to do what I love and just experience new things while I can and while I’m still healthy.”

Even as she prepares to leave, it is still hard to fully come to terms with how far she has come from starting out in youth soccer to playing for her club team to playing with her best friends and winning titles at KP.

“It won’t feel as real until I land in Norway and start playing,” Snead said. “Once I get there, I’ll be more grounded and be like, let’s get to work.”

“I think it was clear from the start how much I loved soccer and it’s just a dream come true that I get to do what I love and continue my career.”

Avery Snead Avery Snead Avery Snead Avery Snead

OA’s Pereira Sisters Taking Advantage of Season Together at Salve

Emma and Reese Pereira Reese Pereira Emma Pereira
Sisters Reese Pereira (left) and Emma Pereira are back skating for the same team at Salve Regina. (Salve Regina Athletics)

 
By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

Early in the second period of Salve Regina’s game with No. 13 ranked Norwich in mid-November, with the game still scoreless, Reese Pereira had the puck in the left face-off circle. She looked up for an open teammate and saw her older sister, Emma, out by the blue line.

In a scene familiar to anyone who played Mansfield/Oliver Ames during the two seasons that the sisters teamed up for the Warriors, Emma took the pass, weaved through a couple of Norwich defenders, and ripped a slap shot past the goalie to put Salve in front.

This was the kind of moment that the pair hoped would happen when they became college teammates – Emma, a senior defenseman closing out an impressive four years with the Seahawks, and Reese, a freshman forward just getting started with her collegiate career.

“It’s always fun having your sister playing with you,” Emma said. “We played at MOA together for a little bit, but it’s so much different here. We get to spend so much more time together on and off the ice. Just being able to have your best friend there is awesome.”

Reese added, “Talking to other teammates about your personal play is hard, but with Emma she knows me the best of anyone on the team and she knows what I’m capable of, so she’ll be honest with me and tell me what I can work on. It’s really helpful having her there and having that support system and just knowing that she’s there for me.”

Both were three-sport standouts at Oliver Ames, playing soccer in the fall, hockey in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring. When they took the ice together for Mansfield/OA, it was the first time that the pair had gotten the chance to play organized hockey on the same team. They had played some pond hockey around Easton or worked on skills but this was a different experience.

At the time, Emma was a junior who had already established herself as a player to watch in the newly formed Hockomock League (2018-2019 was the inaugural season). Reese joined as a talented freshman on a squad that had title aspirations.

“I wanted to be attached at her hip and around her a lot but I knew that I had to make other friends and get to know the team,” Reese explained. “We work off each other really well. We’re very different players but it works really well when we’re out there together.”

“It was really fun,” Emma said. “We can read off each other really well. We just know what the other is thinking of doing. Even now, playing 3-v-3 drills in practice, it’s really fun to be able to go out there together.”

Emma played all four years at OA, but after her sophomore season Reese elected to transfer to the ISL and played at Lawrence Academy (Groton, Conn.).

“It was a really difficult decision,” she admitted. “I had my friends and I really enjoyed OA and I like playing with MOA and all the girls there, so it was really hard to leave that behind. I knew that to better myself more, I needed to switch up and challenge myself. That really took my play to the next level and coming to Salve was a much easier transition.”

Selecting a college to play at wasn’t an easy process for Emma, but after conversations with Salve coach David Lun, she elected to play college hockey and decided to go to Newport.

“He made me really excited to come here,” she said. “Also, Newport as a whole is just the best place you could ever come to school. I love it down here. I also met some of the girls on the team before committing and they were just great people that I’d want to be friends with.”

A contributor from her first season at Salve, Emma has six goals and nine assists over the past two seasons. The positive experiences that she’s had on and off the ice also played a role in Reese’s decision to come to Salve, although in the beginning Emma tried not to influence her sister’s decision.

“Once she said she was interested in Salve then me and everyone on the team was trying to sell her on it,” Emma said.

According to Reese, “Seeing her experience the first three years was very much selling it to me. It’s very hard when you see her having so much fun with the team and playing hockey there and overall her whole experience. It was really hard to not want to go to Salve.”

The transition from high school or prep school hockey to the pace of the college game is a difficult one. Emma noted that even in her four years at Salve, the game keeps getting tougher and the teams keep getting better, increasing the challenge for new players. Having your sister on the ice with you definitely helps with the adjustment.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Reese said about her first shift in an exhibition game against Curry. “I was definitely a little bit nervous and it took me a little while to get into the groove of things and the pace.”

“I remember one of our first shifts together, I remember having a sequence up on the blue line and it’s just much fun playing together when we have plays that we like to do and we kind of just know where each other’s going to be. It was really exciting.”

Emma said, “Freshman year is all about trial and error and you really figure out how you’re going to be as a player, especially on a new team, and it definitely comes with a lot of ‘a few steps forward, a few steps back.’ She’s adapting much better than you’d ever hope.”

Being able to share all of these experiences with each other has added a different dimension to this season. Knowing that they have this one winter on the ice together makes them appreciate the moments a little more.

“It’s the best-case scenario,” Emma said. “To be able to play with your sister in your last year of college hockey and to just share the ice. I was talking to my parents about it and they kept saying to just cherish this season and how awesome and one-of-a-kind the experience is. I don’t want the season to tick down and end because it’s been by far the best.”

Reese agreed, “We’ve talked about how much we have to feel grateful for every practice that we’re out there together, even in the mornings, because it’s only going to be lasting so much longer. Every time I get out there I’m just trying to enjoy it and spend more time with her because next year is going to be really different when she’s gone.”

After a win against Castleton (Vt.) on Friday night (Emma was a plus-2 in the game), Salve is 9-7 on the season and 7-2 in its first season in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC). The Seahawks are currently third in the league standings.

The only thing better than getting to play with your sister is winning with your sister and Emma and Reese are both hoping to cap the season with a run at a title.

“Winning the conference has been the goal since the beginning of the season,” Reese said. “I just think it’s about who’s going to heat up at the right time and I feel like we have that potential. I’m also just looking forward to cherishing the moments with my sister and the rest of the team, day-in, day-out.”

“I would love to make a little playoff run,” Emma said. “No better way to end than a little Cinderella season. I also just want to have fun with all of my teammates because you don’t get the chance to play with 30 of your best friends very often and I only get a few more months of it.”

Emma and Reese Pereira Emma and Reese Pereira Emma and Reese Pereira Emma and Reese Pereira Emma and Reese Pereira Emma and Reese Pereira

King Philip’s Veilleux Enjoying One Last Run at UNE

Faye Veilleux
Former KP standout Faye Veilleux returned for a fifth college season, her third at UNE, and hopes to lead the Nor’easters back to the conference tournament. (David Bates/UNE Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

Coming into the game against Colby, the University of New England had lost three straight games. Back on their home court, the Nor’easters were in a back-and-forth battle but they had the ball on the sideline with a little over a second remaining. Faye Veilleux slipped across the lane from the right block and in one motion caught a lobbed pass and sank a fallaway jumper at the buzzer.

Now in her fifth collegiate season, third at UNE, the former King Philip standout delivered once again, lifting the Nor’easters to an important win and starting a run of three wins in the final five games before winter break. It also got national attention, when it made the Sportscenter Top 10.

Veilleux has been an impact player since she arrived at the Biddeford, Maine campus. She has been first team all-conference in each of her two seasons and this year leads the team and is fourth in the league at 14.5 points per game (the highest average of her career). As Veilleux reflected on her final college season, she wasn’t focused on the accolades or the awards or the stats (she is currently 160 points shy of 1,000 in her UNE career).

“It’s so nice to have them but it’s always about the we before the me,” Veilleux said when her being named Player of the Week is brought up. “It’s more gratifying to build connections with my teammates and feel like I’m being a good leader. That’s what’s more important to me.”

Because COVID took away her freshman season, Veilleux had a fifth year of eligibility. It was an easy decision to come back, both for the chance to continue her basketball career and because it made it easier to fit in the remaining credits she needed.

“I obviously did not want to stop playing,” Veilleux said. “Even though last year, making it to the conference finals was amazing and I could’ve ended there and I would’ve been happy.”

Veilleux tried to put into perspective how different this season has been for her. Early on, even as she was scoring 28 points in a win over Anna Maria to earn Conference of New England (CNE), formerly the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), Player of the Week, or sinking the winning basket against Colby she struggled with the weight of her own expectations.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she explained. “Sometimes, when I wouldn’t perform to my personal standards of what I thought was best, it was really hard. I’ve kind of learned to take a little step back, just for my own mental health, and not focus on meeting my own standards, just seeing how the game goes, just playing defense as best as I can, and just taking it game by game.”

Her focus has shifted to the development of her younger teammates and enjoying how far the team has come over just a few weeks since the start of the season. It is a perspective that comes with seeing the finish line of her college career.

“Five seasons is a lot,” Veilleux admitted. “It’s really hard to be playing college basketball and shaping my life around that process and just knowing that it’s my last year has been such a good motivator for me”

“It’s always in the back of my head that this is my last run, this is my last season, but I also try to tell myself that this is fun! This is my life. I love this game, there’s so much love and fun that’s involved and it shouldn’t always be pressure, pressure, pressure. I want to remind the younger players that you have plenty of time so have fun in the moments because at some point it’s not going to be about winning or losing but did you actually have fun in the process.”

Veilleux’s career started at UMass Dartmouth. The pandemic made it an interesting first year with the program, but she played as a sophomore and averaged four points per game. The decision to transfer, which she called “heartbreaking,” wasn’t a sporting decision, but an academic one. She still follows along with the team’s success and stay in touch with her former teammates.

“It was a pretty strange college experience but it only made my connection with my teammates that much closer,” Veilleux explained. “I love them and they’re my family. I’m just thankful. I have my team at UNE of course but I also have my teammates at UMass Dartmouth.”

When she arrived in Maine, Veilleux was welcomed right away. She credited UNE coach Anthony Ewing for building a close-knit team culture that felt like family. For a new student and a new teammate, being comfortable and confident was crucial.

It became even more important when injuries to some of UNE’s top players forced Veilleux into a much larger role than she expected. “All I wanted to do is to be on the team and provide a little bit extra, a little bit of Faye,” she said. “At one point I was the new girl, I was the transfer, I was still trying to find my way, and then I was kind of pushed into this position where I was leading minutes and points.”

Veilleux started 23 of UNE’s 25 games that season, scoring 13 points (second-highest on the team) and grabbing five rebounds per game. The Nor’easters went 18-9 that season and reached the CCC semifinal.

“I felt really proud of myself for that and I felt very supported by my team,” she said. “I was glad I could do that because they had been so welcoming.”

Last year, Veilleux continued to be one of the team leaders. She was again second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points and grabbed nearly seven rebounds per game. UNE won 21 games and reached the CCC championship game at top-seeded Western New England. Veilleux starred in the final, scoring 21 points and collecting 13 rebounds, but the Golden Bears pulled out a 50-49 win.

The memory of that game is a driving force for Veilleux and the Nor’easters this season. Although 5-5 heading into the winter break, they are fourth in the CNE standings and just a game behind leaders WNE and Endicott. Getting into the top six and getting back to the conference tournament is the ultimate goal, so Veilleux sees the benefits of a tough early-season schedule.

“I think it’s really good that we’ve faced some struggles now,” she said. “We can kind of get gritty, we can dig deep, and learn how to push through these challenges. It’s all about the championship, it’s all about getting a spot in that tournament.”

“I’ve been thinking about that last game since I stepped off the court. It’s been in the back of my mind and every time I step on the court it’s tournament day and we’ve got to make it back.”

UNE returns to the court on Jan. 4 with a rematch against Western New England (and Foxboro’s Hannah Blake, a junior forward for the Golden Bears).

Mansfield’s Stevens Closing in on Middlebury Milestone

Sam Stevens
Former Mansfield standout Sam Stevens is closing in on 1,000 career points at Middlebury College. (Will Costello/Middlebury Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

Most of the time, athletes try to downplay how much an impending milestone would mean to them, claiming that they haven’t thought about it or didn’t realize it was close. Sam Stevens didn’t bother. After a terrific freshman season at Middlebury College was followed by two seasons hindered by injury, the former Mansfield standout was open about how much getting to 1,000 points will mean.

“Not going to lie, it’s something that’s been on my mind for a while,” said Stevens, who entered Middlebury’s winter break at 979 points for his career. “After having that great freshman year, I thought it would come a lot sooner so the delayed gratification of it all will definitely be special.”

Stevens played two years of varsity at Mansfield, so he didn’t get the chance to experience the milestone in high school, which makes the potential of reaching that total in college a little more special.

“It really will just be a great achievement and a testament to all the work that I’ve put in,” he explained. “It will lift a weight off as well, okay now let’s just win, let’s take this season as far as I can go.” Stevens added, “Having a successful season as a team will probably be more special because I’m sharing that with the rest of the guys on the team.”

Middlebury is off to a strong start to the season. The Panthers opened the season with six straight wins. Although they suffered defeats to nationally ranked Emory and Carnegie Mellon before heading out on break, Stevens feels like the team has built confidence through the opening stretch and is ready to take on NESCAC play.

“I think this team is much deeper than we were last year, one through 15, and that’s great to see,” he said. “We’ve shown some stuff defensively that’s been good and helped us win some games that we didn’t necessarily have last year. We obviously got away from that in our last two games but that’s been exciting to see and looking forward to building on that”

Stevens has also had a great start individually. He scored 28 and 25 points in his first two games of the season and enters the break with a team-high 17.8 points per game. It is the kind of production that has been expected from Stevens since his impressive debut season.

After helping Mansfield win the Div. 1 South title as a senior (averaging 17.7 points per game) and playing his final high school game at the TD Garden, Stevens did a post-graduate year at The Williston Northampton School (Easthampton, Mass.). Although COVID altered life that year, limiting the team to just a handful of games, Stevens took advantage of having more time dedicated to basketball.

The work paid off with a terrific freshman season at Middlebury. Stevens played in and started 23 of the team’s 24 games. He averaged 18.0 points per game, pulled down about six rebounds a night, and shot just under 38 percent from three. That culminated in NESCAC Rookie of the Year and second team All-NESCAC honors.

“It was really special to see the work that I’d been putting in for the past 3-4-5 years really come to fruition,” he said. “Coming into Middlebury, I knew that I’d have the opportunity to contribute right away, that was part of the recruiting pitch, and it just really gave me the opportunity to produce and have a really big impact.”

The following year, Middlebury was one of the best teams in the country. The Panthers were ranked as high as No. 2 in Div. III and center Alex Sobel would go on to be named National Player of the Year. Unfortunately, the Panthers weren’t able to finish the season the way that they wanted, losing to Nichols in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on their home floor.

Stevens started 25 of the 26 games that he played that season and averaged 11.3 points per game, but sore ankles were starting to take their toll. He would be limited to just 15 games and eight starts as a junior, while his scoring dipped to 8.6 per game.

“I’m still in the gym all the time and working on my game and it’s frustrating to not have your body respond the way that you’re hoping,” Stevens admitted. “It can also be frustrating to not be producing or performing the way that not only you’re expecting of yourself but that your teammates are expecting of you.”

“I’m grateful I get the chance to play this year and it does give you a different perspective when you are in the games than when you’re sitting on the bench because you know how frustrating it is to not be out there. Any chance I get to be on the court is special and I’m definitely not taking it for granted.”

As a captain this season, Stevens is able to share his perspective with teammates, some of whom entered winter break managing their own injuries. It is also a reminder that everyone needs to be ready to perform because you never know when something may crop up and you’ll be called on to step in. It is an especially important message while the team is back home during break.

“Everyone’s a good player at the collegiate level and guys are going to get their opportunities and it’s about making the most of those opportunities,” Stevens said. “It’s on people to be accountable and I think this is the group to do it. We’ve got some guys who are really locked in this season.”

Outside of the program, expectations weren’t high for Middlebury this season. The Panthers were picked to be one of the bottom half teams in the NESCAC, but Stevens said that the team is rallying around being an underdog. After struggling through a year of transition without Sobel being the focus of the offense and defense, he said the Panthers have figured out their defensive structure and are moving the ball freely, a nice throwback to his high school days.

“More than any other, this year at Middlebury has been really reminiscent of my time at Mansfield, just that defense focus, moving the ball around on offense, getting good shots, paint touches, ball reversals, so it’s definitely feeling more comfortable,” he said.

Stevens added, “We just want to win. We like being the underdogs this year, having that chip on our shoulder, flying under the radar, and having people underestimate us. I know everyone is locked in on having the best season possible because it would be a lot of fun to make a run into February and March.”

While Middlebury focuses on its tournament aspirations and making noise in the NESCAC, Stevens also has the opportunity to achieve personal goals along the way. Needing 21 points to reach 1,000 for his career, Stevens will get his first chance to reach the milestone on Dec. 30 against Brandeis with a home game against Vassar to follow on Jan. 3.

Sam Stevens Sam Stevens Sam Stevens Sam Stevens

Foxboro’s Mollica Shooting Down Records at Babson

Katelyn Mollica
Former Foxboro basketball standout Katelyn Mollica earned second team all-conference as a junior at Babson. (Babson College Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

Katelyn Mollica was a star at Foxboro High. A two-time state champion, a Hockomock League MVP, and a 1,000-point scorer, Mollica had achieved all that she could with the Warriors even with a senior season that was shortened because of the lingering effects of the pandemic.

It isn’t always easy to replicate that level of success in college. As a freshman at Stonehill, Mollica struggled to get playing time and felt like the hard work that she was putting in during practice wasn’t being rewarded. Following Stonehill’s move up to Div. I, Mollica decided that she needed a new school, a new team, and a new fit to regain her confidence on the court.

Babson was Mollica’s second option after high school and now it was her second chance at the college basketball career she expected.

“I think I just needed to find a place where I could compete every day and have my practice pay off,” Mollica explained in a phone call during a break in Babson’s schedule. “College sports is a huge commitment and it’s too much time out of your day to not be loving it or be 100 percent committed to it and I think towards the end of that year at Stonehill I just knew it wasn’t the right fit and I just at the end of the day really wanted to make a positive impact on a team and be able to get minutes.”

She added, “I knew if I was going to transfer, then I was going to go to Babson. I’m happy that I found my place.”

Mollica has flourished at Babson, first under long-time coach Judy Blinstrub and for the past two seasons under Kate Barnosky. Last year, as a junior, she set the program record with 69 made threes (shooting 38 percent from deep) and averaged 12.6 points per game. She was named second team All-NEWMAC. This season, she’s already made 23 threes in seven games (4-3 record) and has bumped her scoring up to 15.4 a night. Her 147 career threes puts her third all-time at Babson.

While she has played different roles, starting as a spot-up shooter as a sophomore (9.0 points per game and 55 made threes, which was third-most in program history), she took over as the point guard last season, and this year has been the primary scorer.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect at first because my confidence was kind of crushed at Stonehill during that year, so I really just came to Babson with an open mind,” Mollica explained. “My first game at Babson, I started, so I think that just sealed the deal for me that I was in the right place. Judy having the confidence in me and helping me believe in myself just made all the difference.”

She continued, “Every year, I’ve gotten a bigger role and it’s awesome and rewarding and all the work has paid off. Making that decision to transfer was scary but I’m just so happy that I did it. I’m just so happy to get an opportunity to make an impact on such a great program.”

As a captain, Mollica likes to share her experiences with younger teammates. Being able to explain how to overcome doubts about your game, fitting into not one but two new teams in college, and keeping the right perspective about the opportunity to play college basketball are important parts of leadership.

“We had a great talk at the beginning of the year and I shared my experiences,” Mollica said. “I’ve been a part of a lot of great teams and I know what it takes to be a great team and how to win and the drive and buy-in [you need].”

Winning started from her freshman year of high school. Mollica was the first player off the bench for a senior-laden Foxboro team that was one of the best in the state from the opening tip. She was a major factor in the Warriors making a run to the state title, including key baskets during comeback victories in both the semifinal and state championship game.

Two years later, Mollica was the star player on a Foxboro team that made another run through the state tournament. That team ended up as co-champions because the pandemic forced the cancellation of the state title game just a day after the Warriors rolled through the semifinal at the TD Garden.

“Lisa Downs has just made a culture of winning and winning is the only thing that’s acceptable,” Mollica said about Foxboro’s recent success (four state titles in the past six years). “The expectation is to be great and to put in that extra work and I think that’s what really sets that program apart from others. She’s such a motivating coach and it’s contagious to the players and they have that same drive to win.”

Babson has reached the NEWMAC final in each of the past two seasons (both times losing to Smith, which Mollica hopes is something that the Beavers can put right this year). Her first year, Babson went 26-6 and hosted Elite Eight games at the Staake Gymnasium.

“Experiencing that a few times just makes you always want to get back to that,” she said. “We always look back on how fun it was to win those games. We hosted that weekend and winning the night before was just such a memorable experience and something we always talk about, how can we get back there?”

A conference title would be the perfect way to wrap up her three seasons at Babson (“I think that would just be the best reward for all the hard work over the years.”), but Mollica isn’t looking too far ahead. She is trying to enjoy the moments throughout a final collegiate season that already feels like it’s racing by.

“Every day at practice, you really can’t take it for granted,” she reflected. “Something can change in a second. Be thankful for every day that we can be on the court and play a sport with so many people who share the same goals and dreams.”

Katelyn Mollica Katelyn Mollica

Mansfield’s Guy Finally Making His Mark at Michigan

TJ Guy
Former Mansfield star TJ Guy (42) lifts up the Little Brown Jug after Michigan’s 27-24 win over Big Ten rival Minnesota in October. (Michigan Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

TJ Guy dominated during his Mansfield High football career. He won a state title as a junior (capped by a 41-0 rout of Lincoln-Sudbury at Gillette Stadium), was a three-time all-star who was named Kelley-Rex MVP during his senior year (which was played between winter and spring because of the pandemic), and was counted on to play every snap on both sides of the ball.

Everyone on the roster at the University of Michigan was likely the best player on their respective high school teams, racking up awards and accolades. It is rare to step onto the Ann Arbor campus and walk straight into the starting lineup. Guy has had to bide his time, but now the senior edge rusher is starting to make his mark and show the skills that made his high school opponents gush about how they expected him to be playing on Sundays.

“It’s been fun to be kind of responsible for what’s going on on the field and having more opportunities,” Guy said in a phone call during Michigan’s November bye week. “Just out here having fun, for real.”

Guy was open about the mental challenges he faced, particularly in his first two seasons, as he transitioned from being the star of a team to a player who was fighting to get on the field and going up against players who are now standouts in the NFL.

“It’s definitely been different, something I haven’t been used to my whole life,” he reflected. “Everything that I’ve been through has been a lesson and something that I’ll use at the next level. Definitely a challenging experience mentally but looking back it’s what made me who I am.”

“My sophomore year, I would say it got a little dark emotionally and I wasn’t all the way in it, but it was lessons that I needed to learn in terms of sticking with something that you really want to do and achieving it no matter what the obstacle is. I didn’t think about transferring, but it was a dark, emotional time early on.”

He played in two games and made two tackles as a freshman, competing for a spot on the defensive line against the likes of Kris Jenkins (Cincinnati Bengals), Christopher Hinton (Los Angeles Rams), and Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions). As a sophomore, Guy appeared in 10 games, including six on defense, and made four tackles.

With the Wolverines putting together an impressive run through the early season, Guy made nine of his 11 appearances as a junior on defense and he recorded 10 tackles (including 1.5 for loss), a sack, and a quarterback hurry. This year, Guy has set new career highs with 26 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and five hurries.

The weekend before he spoke to HockomockSports.com, Guy was a standout for the Michigan defense against No. 8 Indiana. He made five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and had a pair of sacks, as Michigan’s second-half rally came up just short.

“Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been surrounded by like-minded people and just winning people and I’ve had great examples from players to coaching staff to regular staff in the building of just how to be a good person and how to get better everyday,” Guy said about his growth as a player and person over the last four years.

His advice to other players going through a similar situation early in their collegiate career?

“First, you have to believe in your ability and yourself,” he said. “Always bet on yourself and, no matter what anybody says or thinks, if you believe you can get something done, then you work on it until it’s done. Just trust the process, don’t take no easy way out, if you want to compete with the best then go compete with the best and work until you’re the best.”

TJ Guy dives to make a tackle against Minnesota. (Brad Rempel)

Now a veteran, with four years in the program, Guy considers it important to share his perspective with younger players and to uphold the standard that he was taught when he first got to Ann Arbor.

“I definitely feel a responsibility to lead by good actions first and foremost,” he explained. “Just knowing that you’re coming into a program like Michigan, you know it’s going to be hard to play right away but I tell the guys all the time, just stick with it and your time will come. Just focus on getting better and you’ll be the best that you can be when it’s your opportunity to play.”

The season before he got to Michigan, the Wolverines were 2-4 in a season shortened due to the pandemic. Guy remarked that his freshman class was intent on helping turn things around, which the Wolverines did, going 40-3 over the next three years, making the College Football Playoffs twice, and of course going 15-0 and winning the national championship last fall.

“It’s going to be something that I carry with me for the rest of my life,” Guy said. “The brotherhood that I’ve created with everybody here and everyone that was a part of it is just really special. It was really special and I’m super blessed.”

Controversy surrounded the Wolverines last season, as head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for several games and there were investigations into sign-stealing, but Guy said that all of the noise outside the program only made the Michigan locker room tighter.

“We just really bought into sticking together, ‘Michigan vs. everybody,’ and having each other’s backs before anything,” he said. “I would say that was one of the tightest groups I’ve been part of for sure. We stood tall together and bonded better over that.”

At the end of the season, as the confetti rained down at NRG Stadium, following Michigan’s 34-13 win over Washington in the final, Guy was in awe of what the Wolverines were able to accomplish.

He said, “The game had been decided way before the final seconds ticked off but even after the clock hit triple zeros it was hard to believe and it was just crazy that we made it to the top of college football. It was just surreal.” How does that compare to his Super Bowl title at Mansfield? “Maybe the high school one felt a little more cool because I was directly responsible for that but nonetheless both experiences were the best you can get.”

This has not been a banner season for the Wolverines. Harbaugh left for the NFL and took several of the staff with him. Michigan is 5-5 under first-year coach Sherrone Moore with two games left in the regular season. The defending champions have had a target on their backs in a very competitive year for the Big Ten (four teams in the top five in the latest AP rankings).

“It’s been challenging with everything not going the way that we wanted it to go but God has a plan for everything and I think there’s a lesson to be learned in everything we go through,” Guy explained. “Life just kind of hit us as a team, as a unit, and we’ve got to respond.”

Asked what his goals are for the rest of the season, he replied, “Just seeing good character and good fight from the rest of the team would be the best possible outcome right now.”

Guy has another season of eligibility remaining and said that he has options to explore in the offseason, including a return to Michigan, but he isn’t focusing on that just yet. One thing Guy is adamant about is that he has a lot more football to play whenever his college career ends.

“I don’t think this is close to the end of my football-playing career,” he said. “I’m appreciative of the college experience for sure, but I’m not done with football.”

Michigan will be back at the Big House for senior day on Saturday, Nov. 23 to face Northwestern.

TJ Guy TJ Guy TJ Guy

KP’s Stanton Marks Final Season at Ithaca With Title

Ally Stanton
Former King Philip standout Ally Stanton lines up her fifth goal of the season for Ithaca, which won the Liberty League regular season title and top seed for the conference tourney. (Ithaca College Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

In May, Ally Stanton made the decision to stay at Ithaca College and pursue a graduate degree in occupational therapy. Since she was going to be staying at the school for a further two years, the former King Philip standout also decided to take advantage of her extra year of eligibility and play one more season with the Bombers.

That decision paid off for Stanton and for the team.

Last week, the Bombers defeated RPI, with help from Stanton’s seventh goal of the season, to win the Liberty League regular season title for the first time and claim the top seed and homefield advantage for the conference tournament. Ithaca beat Skidmore on Friday and, on Sunday afternoon, the Bombers defeated nationally-ranked William Smith in a dramatic penalty shootout to clinch its second Liberty League title in the past three years.

“It’s been really special to be a part of this season and our team chemistry is just amazing on and off the field so that’s contributed to a lot of that success,” Stanton said in a phone call the night before the conference semifinal against Skidmore. “Personally, I’ve just been trying to find any way to contribute both on and off the field as well, so I’ve been proud about how that’s been going so far.”

“I still love all the girls on the team. It’s harder balancing it with grad school this fall but I’m really happy that I did it. I love to be busy, so it’s nice.”

Stanton tweaked her ankle in the buildup to the conference tournament, so she wasn’t able to take part in the semifinal, but she was out there for the final and contributed four shots and a couple of dangerous crosses in a match that stayed scoreless through regulation and overtime.

Even though she didn’t know how much she would be able to play during the conference tournament, Stanton was ready to be a leader on the bench and find ways to keep her teammates focused and ready for the challenges of the tournament.

“This week I haven’t been able to practice as much as I would’ve liked,” she explained, “but just by staying involved in every drill and just talking to girls in my position and being there through the warmup helping in any way that I can and just being super loud and supportive on the sideline and halftime talking to the team about what I’ve been seeing.”

Making history with the regular season title was an experience to remember (Stanton remarked, “That was awesome. We were so excited. We have a great media team at our school, so after everyone was posing for pictures.”) but, after thinking her collegiate career had ended before deciding to attend grad school, Stanton has been enjoying every moment with her team this fall.

“I have such an appreciation for the sport more so than I ever did,” she said. “This whole season, I know now what it’s like to be done with soccer so it’s just given me a new perspective to really leave it all out there. I think I’ve put less pressure on myself and I’m just having fun and playing as hard as I can.”
Stanton started her college career at Wesleyan. During her first season (2021), she scored five goals and dished out a pair of assists for a team that went 18-2-2 and reached the DIII Final Four.

After transferring to Ithaca, Stanton continued to excel on the pitch. She has 18 goals and five assists in her three seasons with the Bombers. Incredibly, 11 of her 18 goals (including five of the seven she scored this season) have been game-winners.

“I think all of our goals are just good team goals and I’m just somehow in the right spot a lot of the time,” she replied with a laugh when asked how she always seems to pop up at the right time to score important goals. “The best part is just celebrating with your team after.”

Now in her fifth season, Stanton feels more comfortable on the pitch and has embraced being a veteran leader on the team.

“I love the relationships that I have with my younger teammates,” she said. “Just controlling what you can control and putting in the work at practice, offseason is super important, and making sure you’re putting in that work to earn that spot.”

“Also, I think I can help the underclassmen with balancing school on top of soccer. That’s really helpful. You get to know about classes and professors, lend someone a textbook, just be a mentor for them in that aspect as well.”

There are former Hockomock rivals among the younger teammates. Former Canton standout Allie McCabe is a starter in Ithaca’s defense, which has been the best in the Liberty League this season having allowed only seven goals in 19 matches. Former Stoughton goalie Katrina Varnum is in her first year with the Bombers.

Looking forward to the weekend, Stanton reflected on what it would mean to close out her final season by winning another title for Ithaca and getting back to the NCAA Tournament.

“It would mean so much to me,” she said. “That’s been the goal since we started preseason and I think it’s just great that we know we have the talent to do it and it’s now just about executing in these next couple games.”

“It would be the perfect way to wrap it all up.”

Ithaca will wait for the DIII pairing to be announced later this week to see who the Bombers will face in the first round of the tournament.

Ally Stanton Ally Stanton Ally Stanton

Canton’s Connolly Lining Up a Lasting Legacy at Brown

Jack Connolly
Former Canton standout Jack Connolly has earned All-Ivy League honors while at Brown University and now he has one more year to try and help the Bears deliver a league title. (Emma Marion/Brown University Athletics)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

Before the opening game of his senior season, former Canton standout Jack Connolly admitted that there was going to be a moment when he got emotional about his final college football season. Whether it was the opener at Georgetown or maybe the home opener in week two against Ivy League rival Havard, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the realization struck that his time with Brown University football was ending.

“It’s always been about playing sports, doing things with my friends,” Connolly explained. “I’ve got 10 games left and it’s a sprint of a season, so I think it’s going to hit me hard when I walk out there on Saturday. I’m so grateful for it all.”

Connolly never hesitated to take advantage of the fifth year of eligibility that he received after the COVID pandemic canceled his freshman season. An All-Ivy League selection on the offensive line in 2023, Connolly, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, could have jumped into the transfer portal and explored potential opportunities to play in a Power 5 conference, but he never truly considered leaving Brown.

“I love it here,” he said. “There’s no reason I wouldn’t want to come back and win an Ivy League championship with some of my best friends. You can go chase the ACC and all that fun stuff, but I love the Ivy League, I love Brown, and there’s nowhere else I’d want to play.”

Brown is happy to have him back at left guard this fall. Connolly started all 10 games last year, helping the Bears earn a 5-5 record, which was their best since 2015. Brown was second in the Ivy with 396 yards of total offense in 2023 and, with 31 returning players, this fall promises to be even better.

Connolly’s strong senior season led to preseason hype as well, being named to the Phil Steele All-Ivy League team before the year started. After playing the last couple of games of 2023 at tackle, filling in for injuries, Connolly is also back at his favored left guard spot.

All of that had him more than ready to get the season underway.

“I’m super pumped,” he said. “Guys are stepping into roles now that could make us a very good football team, so I’m excited to see it all come together.”

Asked about what it meant to receive all-conference recognition, he said, “It means a lot, I’ve always just kind of kept my head down and worked, but to me, those individual titles mean nothing without a team title and the team title I want is the Ivy League championship. That’s all I’ve wanted for five years.”

Brown got off to a strong start in week one, tossing a second half shutout and returning home from Washington, D.C. with a 26-14 victory over the Hoyas. It was exactly the start Connolly was hoping for after a month of buildup to the season opener.

“I’ve been chomping at the bit to play,” he said, while admitting that the team has largely ignored all the preseason hype, rankings, etc. as they prepared for the games to kick off.

“I know the guys in the room, guys around the program, and we don’t really read too much into that stuff. We know what we’ve got. You can have someone telling you that you’re the best player in the league and also having someone rank you at six.”

The relationship that has been built with the guys in the room is one of the reasons that Connolly is so confident in Brown’s chances at being a contender in the Ivy League. He said, “We have this motto, Coach Morrissey says ‘five strong’ which means being close, being strong, being mentally tough, and I think a lot of guys have bought into that.”

As a fifth-year player in the program, Connolly admits that he feels much more settled and more comfortable with his position on the team and on the line. He’s appeared in all but one game in the previous three seasons, playing several positions along the line. His understanding of the offense and the expectations of the coaching staff has made him a stand out on the field and in the locker room, which is why he was named a captain this season.

Connolly is embracing his role as a leader on the team and knows how important it is for the veterans to set the tone for the team.

“There were guys who came before me who did the same for me,” he explained. “These younger guys, you really want to make them feel at home and feel comfortable and really push them to their limits because that’s what football is all about.”

During his time at Canton, Connolly, a two-time league all-star, helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back Davenport division titles, the program’s first league titles in nearly 40 years, and twice reached the Div. 5 South final. He also won back-to-back state titles as a starting defenseman on the hockey team, including the 2019 team that went undefeated.

Even with all of the success that he had before getting to Brown, Connolly admitted that there was plenty of room for him to grow as a player.

“I was such a raw player,” he said. “Sometimes I look back and watch my high school film, and think holy crap, I’m surprised I even got here. I thought I knew a lot about football in high school but then I got here and I knew nothing. I think the mental aspect of the game has skyrocketed since I got here.”

That growth has opened the possibility of playing professionally, although Connolly is trying to postpone that discussion for a few months while he focuses on his final 10 games with Brown and the goals that the Bears have set for the season.

His focus is on seeing the program continue its upward momentum and adding the program’s fifth Ivy League title (and first since 2008).

“It would mean everything to me,” Connolly said about closing out his career by winning a championship. “I think we have the guys to go out and do that and to be around from the early days of Coach Perry’s tenure here it would be really nice to see the program in a healthy state when I’m gone.”

“This is all I want. I’ve got 10 games left. I’m going to give it my all. I can’t even put it into words how excited I am for this season.”

Ed. Note – Brown rallied for a last-minute, 31-28 win over Harvard on Saturday. It was Brown’s first win against the Crimson, who had received votes in the national top 25 polls, in 14 years. Brown racked up 406 yards of total offense and is now, along with Dartmouth, one of only two unbeaten Ivy League teams. Harvard led 28-10, but the Bears scored the final 21 points. Leading 28-23 in the final minute, Harvard attempted a field goal but a bad snap was recovered by Brown and carried to the Harvard 27. Brown connected on a TD pass on the first play from scrimmage and added the two-point conversion to take the lead with :21 left.

Jack Connolly Canton Jack Connolly Canton Jack Connolly Canton

LANIGAN: An update on HockSports, subscriptions


 
Just over a year ago, we announced our decision to continue our extensive coverage of the Hockomock League through a subscription-based service. It was a tough but necessary decision that allowed us to continue to highlight the success of the student-athletes in the Hock. 

One year in, we’re incredibly grateful for the support we received. On top of keeping HockomockSports.com going, one of our main goals was to increase our coverage among all sports, and I’m really proud of what we did in our first year in this format.

The bottom line is we increased our in-person coverage throughout the 2023-2024 school year by nearly 50% from the previous year, attending over 120 more games, matches, and contests than the previous school year. 

We’re also very excited about the direction of our student reporter and digital content program. We had students from nearly half of the schools in the Hockomock produce content throughout the school year, including paid video content. This is an area we’re looking forward to expanding to more students and across more sports throughout the entire year. 

Our goals will remain the same moving forward as we look to increase and improve all aspects of our coverage. In doing so, we’ll be looking to hire paid freelancers to take on coverage of specific sports. Starting this school year, we’re seeking a motivated writer interested in covering all things cross country as well as both indoor and outdoor track. We’ll be posting the job in the coming weeks. 

If you’re interested in either the student reporter/digital content roles or the cross country/track freelancing position, please reach out to info@hockomocksports.com

We’re locking in current subscribers at the current rates as a thank you for your support. All subscriptions are recurring and will automatically renew. You can visit your My Account page to check or change the status of your current subscription. 

Starting August 15th, we’ll be updating pricing for subscriptions for the upcoming school year. Annual subscriptions will start at $50, seasonal subscriptions (billed every three months) will be $25, and monthly subscriptions will be $10. Any subscriptions purchased prior to that date will be locked in at the current rates.

If you have a current subscription, you can visit the My Account page to view information regarding your plan. If you have any questions regarding your current subscription, please reach out to support@hockomocksports.com.

I just want to say thank you once again to all who have supported us over the years and throughout this past school year as we continue to improve and increase our coverage of the Hockomock League.

Ryan Lanigan
HockomockSports.com Editor

The Campus Report: Girls Soccer Awards and Highlights

The Campus Report
Providence Athletics

By HockomockSports.com Staff

North Attleboro’s Kaylah Seavey served as the backup keeper for Assumption University this past fall. Seavey, a junior, appeared in six games including four starts. She made 21 saves on the year with a 1.40 goals against average and a .750% save percentage. She recorded a shutout in a 3-0 win over Chestnut Hill in September.

Dani Atherton was an instant contributor in her first season down in Miami at Barry University. In the season opener, Atherton scored her first collegiate game against Albany State (GA) in a 50-minute performance. On the season, she made 16 appearances including five starts, and finished with 739 minutes. She added another goal later in the season along with an assist against Edward Waters.

Former Oliver Ames standout Lauren Sellmayer already has 30 starts under her belt after two years of starting for Yasmina Carvalho at Bridgewater State. For the second straight year, Sellmayer had 15 starts and helped the Bears go a perfect 7-0 in MASCAC play during the regular season. Sellmayer was a vital piece of a defense that only allowed 19 goals against in 18 total games.

Down in Rhode Island, Foxboro’s Jordyn Collins eclipsed 50 career starts this past season. Her third year with the Bulldogs wrapped up with 16 starts and three goals – for her career, she has 51 starts with six goals and three assists. King Philip’s Makayla Griffin concluded her fourth year with the program with 57 total games (37 starts). Her senior season featured three goals and one assist, including the game-winner against Rhode Island to kick off the season.

Norah Anderson worked her way onto the pitch in her first season with Dickinson College. The former Franklin Panther made six appearances including her first career start at McDaniel. She also notched her first collegiate point with an assist in a 2-0 win at home over Bryn Mawr.

Two former Hock standouts were key pieces for Eastern Connecticut this past fall. Franklin’s Carly Alston wrapped up a four-year career with the Warriors, totaling 43 appearances (for over 2,300 minutes) with 24 starts. She also got her first career goal against Fitchburg State. Attleboro’s Emily Dunlea enjoyed a strong first year, making 10 appearances (nine starts) with almost 600 minutes played.

At Fairfield University, King Philip’s Ella Pisani had one assist in six appearances for the Stags…Franklin’s Avery Greco made five appearances as a rookie this past season for Endicott, which won its 11th conference championship…Foxboro’s Kendra Wentling had a career-high 13 starts in her fourth year at Gordon, finishing her career with 53 appearances, nine goals, and two assists…Attleboro’s Katherine Dennehy concluded her career at the University of New Haven with seven appearances, including her first start this year…At RPI, former OA standout and freshman Sophia Byron made one start and 16 total appearances.

A trio of former Hock players contributed to Framingham State this fall. Junior Cathryn Cooney has 38 starts in three years with four goals and a pair of assists…first year Tarynn Smith made six starts and 15 total appearances with her first career point coming off of an assist at MCLA…and North Attleboro’s Regan Fein made nine starts and 14 total appearances for the Rams this fall.

Up at Merrimack College, Mansfield’s Maria Sevastos, Canton’s Emily McCabe, and Foxboro’s Meghan Burke all logged plenty of minutes to help the Warriors post a 10-4-4 record. McCabe made 11 starts and had three assists, Sevastos came off the bench with 12 appearances with one goal and one assist, and Burke made 15 appearances off the bench with over 300 minutes played.

North Attleboro’s Emma Pratt had an instant impact in her first year playing forward at the Pratt Institute. She made 14 starts as a rookie and scored 10 goals and added five assists. She scored a pair of goals four times, including a two-goal, two-assist performance in a win over Keystone.

Former HockomockSports Player of the Year Avery Snead had a terrific season for Providence College. She was named to the All-BIG East Second Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team. This year, Snead was a key member of the Friars’ defense with 17 starts (1,529 minutes) as Providence posted eight shutouts and 0.67 goals per game. She scored her sixth career goal late in the season at St. John’s (NY). Canton’s Olivia Rodman made four appearances for Providence this year and has 10 total in her career.

Up in Colchester (VT), two Hock alums were reliable options for Saint Michael’s. King Philip’s Jenna Hitchen made 11 appearances with one start (vs. Franklin Pierce) and finished with almost 200 minutes played. Mansfield first-year Bridget Hanley also had 11 appearances for the Purple Knights and recorded her first collegiate assist against Maine Fort Kent.

Stonehill College will welcome some new Hockomock players next year, but the Skyhawks will be losing a key member of the squad from the last four years. Foxboro’s Yara Fawaz, a team captain this past season, played and started in all 18 games, and finished with 48 appearances overall. In the last game of the season, Fawaz registered her first career point with an assist in a tie against Central Connecticut.

Former HockomockSports Player of the Year Chloe Layne had a strong season for UMass Lowell this past season. Layne made 18 appearances, with 16 of them starts, for the River Hawks. She finished with four goals and three seasons, including a span late in the season with points in five of six games. In two years, she has seven goals and three assists in 32 appearances.

Sharon’s Sofia Goclowski was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman team after a strong season at Western Carolina. She made 14 appearances this season, including eight starts, and finished the season with a pair of goals and a pair of assists.