Q. Coming into the year, you guys were picked to finish 4th in the LEC. How do you feel that impacted the team?

A. I think it did impact the team. Last year, when we were picked to finish first, I didn’t have a good feeling about it because it’s not that we felt we couldn’t win it, but I think it sometimes just gets to your head, the pressure of, you know, everyone expects you to win. And this year I feel like being placed middle the pack was fair because that is where we finished last season. So, it’s not like it’s an insult to us or anything like that, but I do think that having us in fourth just kind of shows that it can go either way, right? I was actually kind of relieved when they put us at 4th because the pressure of being at the top can sometimes get to people, even if you think it doesn’t.

Q. How do you feel about the team going into conference play? 

A. I mean, of course we have our leaps and bounds, but overall this team is really talented and there’s just so many things that we can bring to the table. It’s just making sure that we have consistently. These last couple games we’ve figured out how to be a cohesive unit and be more consistent altogether. So, I think we’ve kind of found our groove, which is really exciting and it’s kind of perfect timing now that we’re in conference play.

Q. What teams do feel will be your biggest competition in the LEC? 

A. Keene State. We play them home on Tuesday night which is exciting. I think there are other teams that I still think are a threat. But I will say Keene is going to be the biggest competition we’ll have within the conference. Keene has a lot of different goal scorers, which we also do. And I think that’s exciting, but it’s also really hard to defend that, because there’s not just one threat. You don’t have that one top scorer, so you have to shut down their entire forward line and midfield. I think they’re really scrappy as well. We’ve been watching a lot of their film and we also see a lot of weaknesses that we can exploit when we do see them and it’s just capitalizing on those and bringing up our strengths. At the same time. If I’m being honest, I just think that we’re a very equally matched team with the same strengths and weaknesses. So, it could go either way and that’s why I think it’s going to be our biggest competition.

Q. Do you believe the LEC is stacked with a handful of good teams or do you believe the conference is wide-open?

A. I believe the conference is wide open this season. I mean, of course there’s a couple teams that are solid, good teams, but I would say the conference has been very unpredictable this year. Like USM, for example, was preseason picked number one, lost to East Conn last week, who was picked to finish in the bottom tier of the LEC this season. So, like, you just don’t know what’s gonna come, depending on who shows up on what day.

Q. What is going to be the key to continuing this hot streak you guys are on right now? A. I feel like we’ve kind of figured it out, which is good. The resilience part of it. I will say the way that we’ve started this season of coming out and the other team scoring on us first and then us still coming out and beating them. Like we’ve gone from a 2-0 deficit three or four times this season, so I think that’s really helped us boost our confidence and recognize the resiliency that we have. And I think that just that has to continue for us to keep going on this winning streak. But I also think we can see and recognize the extra time that a lot of our players are putting in, whether it’s in film or staying after practice and dropping some shots or inserts or whatever it is that all comes into play.

Q. Will preparation and intensity increase now that you’re in conference play? If so, how will that look? 

A. So, film is going to be more important when it comes to conference play. At the beginning of the season, we don’t really emphasize a lot of team film as much as we do now because we’re focused on ourselves more than the opponent. But once we get into the conference play, I feel like we’ve transitioned more into focusing on our opponent because there’s always room to grow. We’ve kind of figured out our rhythm and groove and structure on the field so we just have to figure out how our group will work against the other teams. But other than that, the same intensity and preparation goes into every practice whether it’s a Middlebury that we’re playing or it’s like a bottom-seed team, we act as if it’s the same for everybody.