Julia Fiorito calls the women’s soccer team “a big, tight-knit group.”
Diana Zuta says her teammates “never put the blame on each other.”
For Lauren Hutchison, the chemistry “isn’t just about working together.”
“It’s about understanding each other,” Hutchison said, “pushing each other, and combining our individual strengths to achieve what none of us can do alone.”
The players see their strong bond as critical to the success that brought them to the cusp of the NJAC playoffs with a 5-7-7 record, and could take them further next season. They conditioned together in the summer heat. They revved each other up through tough drills. And they confided in each other during a series of shared meals and late-night conversations that had not always been a part of team culture.
Fiorito, a graduate student in business administration, said “the chemistry only got stronger and stronger” throughout her five years on the team. She said the Pioneers have evolved and grown from a team that communicated only on the field to sharing meals and late-night conversations off it.
“This year’s seniors are such a big, tight-knit group,” Fiorito said. “It was our goal to bring the team together as much as we could. Chemistry off the field directly relates to how we do on the field.”
Hutchison, one of the team’s most vocal leaders, helped organize bonding activities, from team dinners to group study sessions.
The bond showed on the field. This season, the Pioneers defense allowed fewer goals than in 2023, leading to seven shutouts, four of them scoreless ties. A synchronized team, they communicated well to close gaps. On offense, they also scored more than last season.
Coach Keith Woods described how the team developed a certain play just the day before executing it perfectly in a game.
“The team’s chemistry was solid, and that’s what got us through the adversity we faced this year,” said Zuta, a senior. “Even though we tied a bunch of games, we never put the blame on each other. Instead, we worked together to face the problem and overcome it.”
