Worcester State women's soccer has been led offensively by three key players this season. A look at the team leaders in points will show a senior in first place and another senior in third place, but rounding out the top three is Erin Condon, a freshman from East Bridgewater, Mass. who has made the transition into collegiate level soccer look easy.
Coming into Worcester State as a nursing major is no small challenge. Immediately being thrown into an NCAA season on top of that brings the challenge up twofold. Perhaps the secret to succeeding under those circumstances is preparation. “I put a lot of work in over the summer,” Condon comments. “It was a lot just getting physically ready for the season. Both for school and soccer just mentally and physically preparing myself. But I came in ready to go and that’s really helped me be successful.” Clearly that preparation has paid off as her 15 points over six goals and three assists would indicate.
Pairing that preparation with what she calls a “a really good set of upperclassmen,” Condon got off to a hot start. She started on opening night, and had the confidence that she belonged out there on the pitch thanks to her teammates' support. If there was any lingering doubt about whether or not she should be out there, it was quickly done away with as with her first start came her first assist. “Haley Samara had that goal and when she put it in I was like ‘oh my goodness I just got my first points in my first college game that’s so crazy.’”
Condon’s first goal would come in a mid-September game against Keene State University, but she has really heated up ever since the calendar turned to October. In six games this month Condon has scored in four, including a two-goal performance against Salem State. In one of the games she did not put one in the back of the net, Condon still had her fingerprints on the score sheet with an assist. She has compiled back-to-back MASCAC Rookie of the Weeks these past two weeks. It seems that as the season has gone on, “It’s just been clicking more. Finding the back of the net, connecting with teammates.”
It’s not just number 17 that is heating up, as Condon remarks “I think the team in general is really starting to peak at the right time.” The Lancers are in fact 3-0-1 in their final four matches to close out the regular season. The Lancers are back on the pitch this Tuesday night at 7pm when they host Framingham St. in the MASCAC Quarterfinals. Just a few short weeks ago, Worcester came away with the 4-2 win over the Rams, a repeat they hope for on Tuesday.
By Chris Wright