The 2024 STA WPSL team had a historic season, finishing with a 6-1-1 record, the best the team has had since joining the league in 2021. The squad also finished their second season in a row being unbeaten on their home turf.
“We had the club’s best WPSL record, six debuts, national ranking, individual recognition but I am looking for sustained success,” Head Coach Katie Quinlan said. “My aim is to maintain the roster, build depth, gain support and compete beyond the regular season. There is a lot of work to be done, however this season we were able to set a standard on and off the field, create a training environment with intention and intensity, and the players were engaged in the process.”
For the first time in club history, the team was recognized at the national level, being ranked 18th in the country. In the WPSL Final Regular Season Power Rankings, STA finished 19th nationally and 4th in the East Region.
In Quinlan’s first season at the helm, the squad showed a strong defensive performance, only allowing seven goals total in eight games played. In half of their games, the STA WPSL team held their opponents scoreless, and there were only two matches where the defense let up more than one goal.
“It is always great to compete against the best in your league, which we did by beating SUSA and drawing against DUSC,” Quinlan said. “However I am most proud of two events that demanded more character from everyone and set a standard for others to follow. We played away to Brooklyn and despite a weather delay, the players maintained focus and got the job done in the last game of the season. Finally, we played in a game where the opponent went down to 10 players, this is sometimes a difficult task psychologically for the team with 11 as the 10 have a reason to dig deeper. The players responded quickly and scored two goals within minutes. The players have been a credit to the club this season, facing a lot of change and adapting to everything I threw at them.”
The 2024 roster’s leading goal scorer was Sara Oswald with four goals. The second leading goal scorer was Jaiden Schultz, an incoming freshman committed to Boston University. Schultz was voted WPSL East Region Player of the Week for the week of June 17-23 after scoring a brace against then undefeated SUSA.
“It was my first year on the team, but it was fun how quickly we all were able to learn to play together,” Schultz said. “We all got along really well and enjoyed being able to compete together. I got a lot out of practices and games, especially through the feedback I received from the coaching staff. It was a really enjoyable experience overall and better prepared me for college.”
Throughout the 2024 campaign, six players from the STA Girls Academy teams made their WPSL debuts: Krystina Wolf (07), Brianna Concepcion (08), Payton Zaun (07), Olivia Robinson (08), Kate Giglio (U19) and Leigha Matter (U19).
“We were able to give our GA players opportunities to be tested in this league,” Quinlan said. “I am fortunate that we have a pathway that prepares the players for this, and I cannot wait to welcome more debuts next season.”
