| Year: | 2017 |
| Team: | Women's Soccer |
When it comes to setting the bar for excellence in women’s soccer at Suffolk University, one name stands above the rest—Leslie Hayden. What she accomplished on the field as a Rams student-athlete puts her at the peak of perfection.
Hayden, a highly skilled forward, completed her brilliant four-year stint as the all-time leading scorer in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) history with 176 points. In her 66 career games, she scored 73 goals along with 30 assists. She was a constant threat every time she touched the ball.
Speaking of numbers, Hayden’s 2.67 points-per-game average was the third best all-time among GNAC scorers, while her 1.1 goals-per-game-average throughout four seasons was ranked fourth highest ever. In her career, she scored 14 game-winning goals and registered a hat trick in nine of those contests.
As a senior, Hayden led the conference in goals with 22, and points with 51, (12th- and 16th-highest totals nationwide, respectively). She also posted three hat tricks and recorded six game-winning goals, two of which came in the GNAC tournament as she helped lead Suffolk to the conference finals.
When her dream season in 2011 was complete, Hayden was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Conference selection. She was also chosen as a second-team Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Star, and earned fourth-team All-Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
“Leslie’s breakaway technique was great and she was indeed someone special to watch,” said Ernst Cleophat, the Rams’ head coach at the time, and now a Suffolk Hall of Fame member. “I don’t know when or where the next player of her caliber will surface.”
Hayden was an all-conference performer for four years and served as co-captain of the team in her last three seasons. Not the rah-rah type, she led by example a group of student-athletes that were feisty and unheralded.
“I was always impressed with the commitment and determination of our teams,” she said. “Although we didn’t have a home field close to campus back then, we made the most of the resources that we had. The team bonded a lot during the van rides to and from practices and games.”
Hayden lives in Boston and works for Wayfair, an online home goods retailer.