Lady Sharks Look To Build On Inaugural Season’s Success
The Miami Dade College women’s soccer team enjoyed a successful first season.
They had a 10-5 record, finished the season ranked No. 18 in the nation, posted a 4-1 home mark and made it to the Florida College System Athletic Association semifinals.
Now they are looking to build on that success with a strong returning core that wants to avenge their 3-0 semifinal loss to Eastern Florida State College in Daytona Beach.
“We have 15 or 16 returners. So that helps team chemistry. It helps, you know, understanding of where we are,” Lady Sharks Head Coach Ramiro Vengoechea. “So what I would say is we’re further along this year than where we were last year at this point, because of that chemistry, and because of those players that have come back already.”
That core includes forward Julia Gurgel, who led the Sharks offense with 12 goals and 24 points, forward Tessa Abreu, who was tops on the squad with four assists and was second in goals with eight, and defender Susan Santos, who returns after earning first-team all-conference honors.
Gurgel capped off an impressive freshman campaign by being named the FCSAA Division I Player of the Year.
That talented group will mesh with a strong freshman cast that includes defender Olivia Verbeet, midfielder Dorina Fehertoi and midfielder Sophia Sandoval. Verbeet and Fehertoi are already in the starting lineup.
“It’s definitely harder,” said Sandoval, who played at Doral Academy Charter High School last year. “It’s a very big switch up from where I used to play. The speed of play is a lot faster. The girls are a lot tougher. I struggled in the beginning, but as I progress, I’m getting better and better.”
The Lady Sharks, who are currently 1-2-2 this season, hope to keep improving after some uneven play this season. They have lost 3-0 to Daytona State College, the top-ranked team in the country, and blew out Harford Community College 8-0.
Gurgel leads the team’s offense once again with three goals and six points and sophomore Maria Sanchez Gomez is second on the squad with two goals. Goal keeper Ashley Fonseca has 17 saves.
“I’m excited for the season. I know the girls are as well,” Vengoechea said. “They feel like they have something to prove. They’re all working really hard to get to that. And as a staff, we’re really happy with where we’re at.”
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