The fountain of youth is certainly bubbling over for the Buccaneer women’s soccer team this fall, as Head Coach Ray Cabral welcomes nine freshmen and four sophomores to join a talented group of upperclassmen for his second campaign in Buzzards Bay.  Massachusetts Maritime returns six letterwinners and five starters from a year ago and is looking to blend youth and experience in preparation for a 14-match slate in 2012.

Two members of the Buccaneer senior class will help Cabral in mixing that blend, as Kim Courcy (Warwick, R.I./Warwick) and Shelagh Hogan (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) have been tabbed as Massachusetts Maritime’s co-captains for the coming campaign.  Cabral describes the duo as “great leaders and communicators who have played an integral part in the growth and development of our program.  Their leadership will play a key role once again this season with a young roster, and I have great confidence in them.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the fifth varsity season of Buccaneer Women’s Soccer:

FORWARD.  Junior Lauren Salem (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) earned second team all-MASCAC accolades a year ago and leads the way up front for Cabral’s crew, as she netted a pair of goals and two assists for six points in 2011.  Sophomore Laura Marin (West Yarmouth, Mass./Cape Cod Tech) added a goal in 15 starts last fall, while the freshmen quartet of Emily Behen (Danvers, Mass./Danvers), Asia Vernon (Dutch Harbor, Ak./Unalaska City), Janine Prokscha (Washington, Conn./Gunnery Prep) and Molly Smith (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) will look to impact Massachusetts Maritime’s fortunes as rookies.

MIDFIELD.  Hogan leads the way in the middle for the Buccaneers after starting 14 of 15 contests last season, while sophomore Jillian Petrarca (Manutuck, R.I./South Kingstown) lends additional experience after appearing in 14 matches with five starters as a newcomer.  Sophomore Tenley Gillett (Bedford, N.H./Culver Academy), who earned all-conference honors in women’s lacrosse as a freshman last spring, will be vying for time at one of the midfield spots along with freshmen Brittany Driscoll (Spencer, Mass./Holy Name), Angela Dumont (Pepperell, Mass./North Middlesex), Nicole Venuto (Somerset, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy) and Natalie Smith (Hull, Mass./Hull).

BACK.  Courcy leads the backfield for the Buccaneers, as she also is the top returning scorer from last season after netting three goals and two assists for eight points in 13 contests.  Sophomore Mariah McGrath (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) started all 15 matches during her rookie campaign, and the two returning defenders will be joined by senior Anna Whittemore (Weatogue, Conn./Simsbury) at that position.

GOAL.  Freshman Katie Levesque (Wilmot, N.H./Kearsarge Regional) will serve as the last line of defense for Massachusetts Maritime as a rookie this fall, while Courcy will also serve as a back-up netminder after appearing in four matches in the Buccaneer cage in 2011.

SCHEDULE.  Cabral’s squad will take on all seven MASCAC opponents once again this season, including home dates with MCLA, Worcester State and Bridgewater State, and Massachusetts Maritime will tangle with Becker, Lesley, Regis, Coast Guard, Wheelock, Pine Manor and Curry in non-conference play.

The second season of the Ray Cabral era kicks off on Wednesday, September 5^th when the Buccaneers head to Leicester, Mass. to take on Becker in a non-league clash that begins at 4:00 p.m. EDT.