BOSTON – A group of upperclassmen, Alicia Bibi, Hayley Long and Klaudia Rushi will don the 'C' for the 2022 Suffolk women's soccer season as first-year head coach Ellie McDougall announced Monday. 

"These three captains were selected by their teammates due to their incredible work rates, high character, and having a team first mentality," McDougall said. "I am excited to support them on their leadership journey as they all work together to take this team to new levels." 

The trio, all first-time captains, were usual starters on Suffolk's squad a year ago that tied the second-most victories in the Rams' record books (11-6-0) and earned the fifth seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) post season. 

Long, a forward from Exeter, New Hampshire, will enter her senior season after an all-region, all-league campaign as a junior a year ago in which she supplied 12 points on five goals and three assists. Two of her strikes pushed the blue-and-gold to victory including the programs first-ever win over Lesley, a 2-0 shutout of Lesley, Sept. 11, 2021, and the second a 3-0 decision against Nichols Oct. 9, 2021.

A midfielder that calls Beverly, Massachusetts home, Rushi had two goals and one assist to her credit last season, her first true collegiate campaign after her true freshman year was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

Bibi, meanwhile, was a staple on the Rams backline as a sophomore in 2021, starting nine of the 13 games she appeared in. The Marlborough, Massachusetts product found the back of the net once last season. 

With its captains leading the way, Suffolk is prepared to open its 16th campaign Thursday, Sept. 1 at Elms at 7 p.m.