About The Team
Established in 1986, the Elms College women's soccer team continues
to grow into a strong North Atlantic Conference (NAC) contender.
In 1999, the Blazers won the NAC championship - the first soccer championship in school history, and last year, they posted the program's first-ever 14-win season en route to the regular season NAC title.
Under head coach Ryan Kelly, the Blazers have enjoyed unprecedented success during the past three years. During that time, the team has recorded 31 victories, earned three straight conference tournament berths, and had players named All-NAC a total of 10 times.
In 2006, the Blazers rolled to 11 wins in a 12-game stretch midway through the season, highlighted by an eight-game winning streak that included three straight shutout victories over Husson College, Mount Holyoke College, and Wheelock College.
Elms College's defense posted 10 shutouts overall last season and
allowed just five goals in 12 conference games.
Forward Jen LeDoux (Easthampton, MA) and midfielder Jamie Walsh (Springfield, MA) both earned First Team All-NAC honors in 2006, while defender Tina Lempke (Holyoke, MA) was named Second Team All-NAC. LeDoux received All-NAC honors for the second time in three years after finishing among the conference's top five leaders in both goals (15) and points (32). Walsh, meanwhile, registered five goals and 11 points in 2006, while Lempke anchored a defense which helped the program win 37 games in the last four years.
The Blazers' offense also featured plenty of balance, as forwards Krystyna Gagne (Methuen, MA), Serina Percoski (Westfield, MA), and midfielders Vanessa Pare (Belchertown, MA) and Kerrie Bowden (Chicopee, MA) combined to score 20 of the team's 46 goals last season.
Playing in a 13-member conference, the Blazers travel throughout New England, with overnight trips to Vermont and Maine, and day trips to the greater Boston area. Coach Kelly upgraded the Blazers' 2006 non-conference schedule to include the program's first-ever trip to compete in the Roanoke (VA) Invitational, as well as non-conference games against Trinity College and traditional local rivals Mount Holyoke College and Westfield State College.





