Courtesy Harold Rivera - Daily Item
BOSTON — When the Suffolk University women's soccer team open its season Sunday at Rhode Island College, it'll be Peabody native Erika Nelson's last hurrah wearing the blue and gold Rams uniform.
A three-year varsity forward for coach Dennis Desroches at Peabody High, Nelson has worked to build an impressive collegiate career at Division III Suffolk. In 49 games with the Rams, Nelson has tallied 21 points, scoring five goals with 11 assists. As a junior last season, she started all 14 games she played in and scored three goals while dishing six assists.
Nelson's strong season helped the Rams reach the semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament. Suffolk, which finished the year at 11-10, was eliminated after a double-overtime loss at Albertus Magnus.
After a successful run in 2016, Nelson is optimistic Suffolk can take things one step further this season.
"We had a really good run last season," Nelson said. "We made it to our conference semis which is the farthest our program has gone in a while. We only graduated one senior from last season's team so we're hoping to end up even higher in our conference."
Suffolk returns a handful of experienced players this fall, meaning the juniors and seniors will lead the way for the Rams. A handful of the team's core, including Nelson, has played together at Suffolk for three seasons. That group's main goal is to go out on a high note.
"We really just want to work together and be the best we can be," Nelson said. "We're an older team now. We're mostly seniors and juniors. Everyone on the team has great heart and commitment. I think we deserve to win a conference championship and make it to the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully we can bring it home."
As one of the team leaders in assists last fall, Nelson acknowledged that her biggest strength on the field is her vision. Nelson's hoping to repeat that success in 2017.
"I think my strength is the ability to see the runs that may not be happening yet but are going to happen," Nelson said. "I think I'm really good at seeing the field and staying one step ahead. I feel like my vision on the field is my biggest strength."
Aside from setting up her teammates for scoring opportunities, Nelson will also be relied on for leadership. Suffolk coach Darren Lloyd, who took over the program in Nelson's sophomore season, will look to the Peabody native to help guide the Ram's group of incoming freshmen.
"She's a great role model for all our freshmen this year," Lloyd said. "We have a lot of talented freshmen this year and she's going to be one of the players they can learn from. She's a great role model because she puts the team first."
"She's going to be an integral part of the team," Lloyd added. "She's very experienced. She's gotten better in the two years that I've coached her and she'll be a standout player in the conference this season."
Knowing the challenges that come with transitioning from high school to college soccer, Nelson welcomes the leadership role with open arms. In the end, Nelson said, being a leader helps the team in the long run.
"It feels great to know that coach feels I'm one of the girls that should be leading the incoming freshmen," Nelson said. "I'm always willing to help a player better herself because that helps the program in the long run. It's a big transition from high school to college soccer. Being able to be there and someone they can look up to, I think that'll help us in the long run and I appreciate my coach feeling I can take that responsibility."
On the academic side of things, Nelson, a radiation science major, is set to graduate in the spring. Although finding a balance between soccer and academics has brought its fair share of challenges, Nelson's looking forward to her senior year.
"Last year was a struggle during soccer season because my major's very specific," Nelson said. "There are only five other girls in my program, so I couldn't miss any classes. It was tough balancing soccer and school."
"It was a lot of balancing and time management but hopefully this season's going to be a lot easier," Nelson added. "I know what to expect with all the work I have to do and all the commitments I have."
And she's also looking forward to getting back on the field with her teammates when Suffolk kicks off the new season on Sunday.
"I'm excited," Nelson said. "It's surreal. It's my last year playing a sport that I've played since I was six years old. I'm excited and I feel this will be a big year for us."