Earlier today the Boston Breakers announced their roster for their upcoming preseason matches. There are few surprises in the bunch, with second-year head coach Matt Beard bringing in all four first-round picks from the 2017 draft (Rose Lavelle (1st), Morgan Andrews (3rd), Ifeoma Onumonu (8th) and Margaret Purce (9th), respectively), as well as recently injured goalkeeper Libby Stout. While it’s unclear whether or not Boston has any designated US Federation players (one might expect recently capped USWNT player Lavelle to appear on that list, to go along with subsidized Canadian international Allysha Chapman), Beard is optimistic, saying “As a coaching staff, there has been a lot of preparation going into this preseason. We are looking to hit the ground running so we can set ourselves up for a successful season. There are many changes to this year’s roster, and we can’t wait to get started.”
To that effect, only 8 players of the 22 selected for the 2017 preseason are returning from last year, including the injured Stout, who is expected to miss most if not all of the preseason play. With only 22 players selected, Boston is expected to have a smooth transition from this roster into the 20 player maximum the team must have at the beginning of the regular season. The Breakers have their first preseason game scheduled for Saturday, March 25, a closed-door scrimmage against Boston College. They then play NEFC U-15 boys (March 28), the University of Connecticut (April 1), and Sky Blue FC (April 4 – closed door).
Full Boston Breakers Preseason Roster
Goalkeepers (3): Sammy Jo Prudhomme, Abby Smith, Libby Stout
Defenders (7): Allysha Chapman, Brooke Elby, Amanda Frisbie, Julie King, Megan Oyster, Kylie Strom, Christen Westphal
Midfielders (6): Morgan Andrews, Amanda Da Costa, Rose Lavelle, Angela Salem, Tiffany Weimer, Rosie White
Forwards (6): Hayley Dowd, Natasha Dowie, Emilie Haavi, Adriana Leon, Ifeoma Onumonu, Margaret Purce