Women’s Soccer Heads to Elms for 2024 Debut

SUFFOLK vs ELMS
Date Time Venue Video Stats Program Series Last Meeting   Last Suffolk Win Streak	Sunday, Sept. 1 2:00 PM Leary Field Chicopee, Mass. Stretch GoSuffolkRams.com GoSuffolkRams.com 3-0-1 Sept. 1, 2023, W, 3-1 Same W1

BOSTON – Suffolk women's soccer will pull the curtain back on its 2024 campaign at Elms Sunday, Sept. 1 at 2:00 p.m.    

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RAPID REWIND
Suffolk played its way to the conference postseason for the first time since 2021 a year ago. The seventh-seeded Rams upset second-seed Roger Williams in the first round, 2-1, to compete in the semifinals for the first time since 2017. The Gulls blanked the blue-and-gold, 4-0, to end its year 8-8-3 overall.  

Individually, three Rams secured all-conference third-team distinction in Makena Columbus, Avery Porter and Klaudia Rushi. The three recognitions in a single season mark a record under Ellie McDougall's guidance. 

RAMS RINGLEADERS
Three seniors will wear the 'C' for the 2024 Suffolk women's soccer season as third-year head coach Ellie McDougall has announced that Chelsea Fallon, Kylie Flynn and Grace Owens will share the role. 

MORE READING: Senior Trio to Captain Women's Soccer in 2024 

RAMS ROOKIES
Suffolk women's soccer's head coach Ellie McDougall's second recruiting class features 10 as nine true freshmen and one graduate transfer will be added to the Rams fold for the 2024 campaign. 

MORE REAIDNG: Ten to Join Women's Soccer in 2024 

GEOGRAPHY 101
The 2023 Rams feature 33 players representing 11 states. There are eight student-athletes that call Massachusetts home. Five came from California and Florida, respectively, while four made their way from Connecticut. A trio traveled down from New Hampshire with a pair making their way from Rhode Island and Nevada. Delaware, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia are represented by one student-athlete each.  

CLASS CATEGORIES
Suffolk's squad is comprised of all five classes. There are nine seniors and nine true freshmen to even out the spectrum of experience and newcomers with seven sophomores and six juniors in the mix as well as a pair of grad students. 

POSITION PLAUDITS
Position wise, 33 student-athletes are divided between 15 midfielders, eight defensemen, four forwards and three keepers with a pair of defensive midfielders and one defensive forwards in the mix. 

COACH'S CORNER
Ellie McDougall was named the head women's soccer coach in February 2022 and will begin her third season at Suffolk in the fall of 2024.

McDougall became the fourth head coach in the Rams' history and second female to lead the program. Suffolk marks her first collegiate head coaching role.

McDougall has help on the sidelines as long-time Goalkeeper's Coach Stephen Hill returns, with Douglas Meloni and Kate Donovan on staff as assistant coaches. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

• Suffolk has strung together a 7–7–2 season opener record.
• The Rams are unbeaten in their last four openers (3–0–1), all of which have come against Elms.
• A day one decision has been decided via shutout four times with the last coming in 2022.
• The Rams are 2–1–1 when a team is kept off the scoreboard in the first outing of the season.
• Suffolk starts its year on the road for the first time since 2022.
• The Rams are 2–5–2 in the first game of the year as the away team.
• The Rams hold a 6–3–0 record when playing day one at home.
• Suffolk has needed extra time to determine a winner in its first outing of the year three times.
• Suffolk is 1–1–1 when playing in OT outings in the first game of the year.
• All three of the Rams overtime opening–day outings have gone into double overtime.
• Suffolk will meet Elms in game one for the fifth straight season.
• The Rams are 3–0–1 against the Blazers not just in the season debut, but overall.
• Suffolk is 1–0–1 in game one under Ellie McDougall. 

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
In a vote by the Conference of New England's 10 head coaches, Suffolk women's soccer team has been projected to place seventh in the preseason coaches' poll.

BLAZERS BREAKDOWN
For the second time in as many seasons, Elms is predicted to finish in the middle of the GNAC after going 7-10-3 overall a year ago.  

The biggest offensive threats for the Blazers are back in Emily Basua (12g), Kelly Malheiro (3g, 13) and Jamie McDonough (6g, 2a). 

Elms keepers, meanwhile, will be fresh faces to the roster after its usual starters from 2023 graduated. 

Prior to playing Suffolk Sunday, the Blazers will begin their year Friday, Aug. 30 against Vassar.  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk is unbeaten, 3-0-1, all-time against Elms in a series that start in 2019. 
• All, but one game between Suffolk and Elms have been determined via shutout.
• Two of Suffolk's victories were 1-0 decisions. 
• The series has been split between home (2-0-0) and road (1-0-1) contests. 
• Suffolk and Elms has need extra time to decide a winner once, the first-ever meeting, Sept. 1, 2019. That outing went into double overtime and ended in a 1-0 victory for the Rams. 
• Three games against Elms have been played on the first of September. 
• All four of the Rams and Blazers games were season openers for the respective seasons that they took place.  
• Suffolk is 1-0-1 versus Elms with Ellie McDougall on the sidelines. 

MORE INFO: Suffolk vs. Elms – All-Time Series  

STATS SHOWDOWN
 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams lift the lid on their home slate Tuesday, Sept. 3 when UMass Dartmouth stops by East Boston Memorial Park's James A. Sartori Stadium for a 7:00 p.m. first kick.