Siena senior attacker Mary Soures was seemingly doing it all when the Saints took on Iona earlier this season.

Taking powerful shots while crashing through the eight-meter arc. Picking up ground balls and quickly pivoting to shoot. Perfectly positioning herself for assists in the middle of the eight-meter arc.

By the game’s end, Soures’ heroics placed her atop Siena’s record books. She finished with nine goals, setting a new program record for a single-game. Her efforts paced the Saints through the back-and-forth matchup, lifting her team to a narrow 21-20 win.

“That win set the stage for our team,” Soures said. “It showed that we never give up until the buzzer goes off. We have so much heart and grit on the field, and it was proved that day.”

The victory gave Siena its first MAAC win this season. The Saints finished the regular season 6-2 in conference play and earned a share of the MAAC regular season title for the first time since 2005. Now, as the No. 2 seed in the MAAC tournament, Siena is on the hunt for its first conference championship and first bid to the NCAA tournament.

Soures has played a significant role leading the Saints’ attack. She’s tallied 60 goals so far, even after missing the team’s first two games. She hasn’t once had a bad outing, tallying a hat trick in all but two of Siena’s games. This offensive prowess has set her apart on the national stage, as she ranks fourth nationally in goals per game and 19th in points per game.

Coach Abigail Rehfuss, a Loyola graduate who has been around the game for decades, said she feels Soures could play anywhere and feels very lucky to have her at Siena. Over the past four years, she and her staff have pushed Soures to embrace her talent and take on a bigger role offensively.

“We’ve had to coax her into doing more because she’s such a selfless player,” Rehfuss said. “She was happy to be the complement to other bigger guns around her, but didn’t want to be the assertive player with all of the spotlight. We were like, ‘Mary, you’re too good to not be doing more.’”

Soures said she feels her confidence has grown the most over the past four years, saying she “played scared” as a freshman. Now, as a senior, she takes the field accepting that she’ll make mistakes and move forward from it.

She’s worked to instill this mindset in younger and less experienced players, too. The Saints graduated a wealth of experience, including top scorers Kaitlyn Dowsett, Annie Brennan and Kerry Gerety. As a result, a number of less experienced players are getting a chance to shine this season. Soures said she has sought to uplift them, hoping they will recognize their potential.

With so many stars graduating, Rehfuss said she initially questioned how this season would go. Fall ball was full of “ebbs and flows,” she said, but the program’s chemistry and cohesion have steadily improved since the beginning of the regular season.

Soures has fueled Siena’s success both as an offensive kickstarter and a leader off the field. Beloved by her teammates and a great friend to all, Rehfuss said she has helped drive the “energy bus” for the team.

“We would not be where we are as a team and a program without Mary Soures,” Rehfuss said. “Bottom line. She’s a player who, whatever the team needs her to do or needs her to be, she’s always willing.”

NUMBERS OF NOTE

85

Bryant easily dismantled Central Connecticut State on Wednesday, defeating the Blue Devils 21-7. The Bulldogs’ offense shone in the victory, as 12 players scored in the matchup. Sophomore attacker Alexa Weber led Bryant in scoring with five goals and sophomore attacker Cassidy Burns notched five assists and two goals. Burns’ assists put her at 85 career assists, tying the Bulldogs’ all-time record.

2013

Mount St. Mary’s took down Howard 21-1 on Wednesday to record its sixth straight win. The Mountaineers’ graduate attacker Zoe Hurlburt, sophomore attacker Lizzie Stevenson and graduate attacker Alayna Pagnotta all tallied hat tricks in the win, and 11 players scored in total. The Mount’s defense held strong too, as goalkeepers junior Madison Bradley and freshman Delaney LaRose put up a combined six saves. The Bison’s single goal marked the fewest allowed by the Mountaineers since 2013.

14

Rutgers took care of conference foe Ohio State in a 10-8 victory in Columbus on Thursday. Down by three goals just six minutes into the third quarter, the Scarlet Knights came roaring back and scored four straight goals over parts of the third and fourth quarters. Junior midfielder Cassidy Spilis and senior attacker Marin Hartshorn shined on offense, notching a hat trick each. With the win, the Scarlet Knights have now matched their single-season record with 14 wins.

53

Stanford earned a share of the regular season Pac-12 title on Saturday through defeating Cal. The Cardinal starred on both sides of the field in the 18-11 win. On defense, goalkeeper Kara Rahaim recorded 11 saves and freshman midfielder Annabel Frist led the way with six ground balls. Graduate attacker Ali Baiocco fueled Stanford’s attack, recording six goals. This marks the sixth time in 2021 where Baiocco has scored five-plus goals in one game and ups her total to 53 on the season – tied for second all-time in the Cardinal’s record books.