Photo Courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics
By Bei Jia Viggiano ’28
Sports Editor
As Halloween approaches and the student body prepares for the highlight of the spooky season, Mount Holyoke College’s soccer team has been working hard. The past two months have witnessed a strong start, followed by a series of challenges and draws.
The kickoff to the season was a home game against Anna Maria College on Sunday, Aug. 31. The Lyons emerged victorious 4-0.
“At practice, we plan for the next opponent, capitalizing on their play-style weaknesses and our strengths. I think this type of game prep, combined with our drive to always do better and work as hard as we can on that field, led to our success,” Amelia Taylor ’29 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “Personally, I think what was really successful for me was allowing myself to make mistakes. Sometimes I get really hard on myself when I mess up, and it affects my playing afterward. I think before the kickoff game, I found peace with myself, and I felt confident enough in my ability, and that made a world of difference.”
The start of September saw a match against Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in New Haven, Connecticut. Despite their best efforts, Mount Holyoke lost 1-0.
“I think our main response [to losses], no matter the outcome, is always to work harder. Soccer is as much a physical game as it is mental. No matter what the score is after, we always try to capitalize on holding each other accountable. Did you put your 100% effort in? Are you happy with how you played? These are the types of questions that we ask ourselves after every game, and that answer dictates how you move forward,” Taylor continued. “I think we always just try to look to the future, we don’t dwell on the past. A big part of our program is hard work and determination. No matter the outcome, we can always move forward. When we encounter a specific issue, we try to isolate it, and then work on [it] until we see improvement. At the end of the day, the most successful teams are the ones that can overcome losses and difficulties with their heads held high.”
The next two games concluded with a draw; The first against DeSales University on Sunday, Sept. 7, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and the second against the Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in another home game. The match against DeSales had a tie of 1-1, while neither Wentworth nor Mount Holyoke scored a point in their game, leaving the score 0-0.
“Personally, [a tie] depends on the opponent. Sometimes a tie can come as a relief, while other times it’s frustrating,” Taylor explained. “For example, for our Babson game, we held them off for most of the match, and Babson is one of the best teams in the league. If anything, we were hoping for a tie. It’s when you tie a team that you know you have the potential to beat that’s frustrating.”
The Lyons next competed against Salve Regina University on Saturday, Sept. 20, where the visiting Seahawks earned a victory of 1-0 over the hosting Lyons. Four days later, Mount Holyoke attended a match against Westfield State University on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Westfield, Massachusetts. The game ended in a tie of 0-0.
“I’ve had a great season this semester. I’m a freshman, so this is my first time playing at the collegiate level,” Taylor remarked. “There were bumps during this season for sure. I got an ankle injury halfway through, and we lost quite frequently. That doesn’t matter to me, though. To me, this team is so special because we all get along so well. Outside of soccer, we are all friends, and that’s a bond that can’t be broken.”
The following six games saw challenges for the Lyons. Despite their hard work, Mount Holyoke was defeated by Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Wheaton College, Smith College, Babson College, Coast Guard Academy and Emerson College.
“The culture of the team is so positive and supportive, I never felt uncomfortable once,” Taylor concluded. “Most importantly, I just loved being able to play soccer. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to continue playing and that I was able to play heavy minutes in many games. There’s a lot of love on this team, so at the end of the day, I never really care about the scoreboard.”
Now, the Lyons are preparing for their last two games before the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference — abbreviated as NEWMAC — post-season tournament. Over the course of four days, NEWMAC will be holding its Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Championship. The final match for Mount Holyoke will be against Wellesley College on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 12 p.m., in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Mount Holyoke’s soccer team has since competed in a game against MIT on Saturday, Oct. 25, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They will next face Springfield College on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Mount Holyoke College.
Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.