After posting the highest win total in the program’s six-year varsity history last fall, enthusiasm and excitement continue to build for the 2014 Massachusetts Maritime women’s soccer season, and with that fourth-year Head Coach Ray Cabral today announced that seniors Laura Marin and Mariah McGrath, along with junior all-regional goalkeeper Katie Levesque, will serve as Buccaneer tri-captains for the upcoming campaign.

Marin, a native of West Yarmouth, Mass. and a graduate of Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, started in all but one of 14 match appearances last season and registered a team-leading three assists from the midfield position, while McGrath, a native of Mansfield, Mass. and a graduate of Mansfield High School, helped anchor the Buccaneer defensive unit by starting in 12 of 15 contests and adding an assist on offense.  Both players will serve as team captains for a second straight season this fall.

Levesque, a native of Wilmot, N.H. and a graduate of Kearsarge Regional High School, has shattered every Academy goalkeeping record over her first two seasons in a Massachusetts Maritime uniform.  A two-time all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference selection, she became the first player in program history to earn National Soccer Coaches Association of America all-regional recognition after making 175 saves (including a school-record 27 stops at Westfield State last October) and registering six shutouts.

“Laura, Mariah and Katie proved last season how valuable their leadership was for our program both on and off the field, and I am extremely excited to have them as captains this fall,” Cabral, who earned his 100^th career collegiate women’s soccer victory last season, says of the trio.  “They set a high standard for success both athletically and academically, and they will continue to be amazing ambassadors for their teammates and the Academy.”

Massachusetts Maritime posted four overall victories and three ties in 2013, as the Buccaneers return 17 letterwinners and nine starters to the fold.  The 2014 season begins on Wednesday, September 3^rd when Cabral’s crew heads to Leicester, Mass. to take on Becker in a non-league clash that begins at 4:00 p.m. EDT.