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Women's Soccer's Tomaselli Brazil Bound
Briana Tomaselli surprised herself in the fall soccer season.
The Pilgrim graduate started her career at Newbury College by
scoring 22 goals, tops in the New England Collegiate Conference.
She was named first-team all-conference and was selected as the
league’s Rookie of the Year.
Last month, somebody else gave Tomaselli a surprise.
On the strength of her outstanding debut season, Tomaselli was
selected to the USA D-3 Soccer All-Stars, a national team that will
compete on a tour of Brazil in May.
“My coach emailed me and told me about it, and I was really
surprised,” Tomaselli said. “I was proud of
myself.”
Initially, Tomaselli wasn’t sure she whether she would accept
the invitation, but once she talked to her mother, she realized how
big the opportunity was.
“She was wicked excited,” Tomaselli said.
The decision was made – she was going to Brazil.
The experience promises to be special, and it’s another step
in an exciting year.
Tomaselli graduated from Pilgrim last year. In her senior season,
she was a first-team all-division performer for the Pats. Newbury
coach Bobby Desilets recruited her and she signed on.
The program at Newbury is in its infancy. Desilets, who hails from
Rhode Island and starred at Bishop Hendricken, started it from
scratch two years ago. Tomaselli was part of his first full
recruiting class.
With the opportunity for plenty of playing time, Tomaselli seized
the chance from the get-go, scoring a goal in the team’s
season opener. She added two more in the team’s second game
and never looked back.
“She really improved a lot,” Desilets said. “I
knew she had talent, but she really got it going and had a great
season.”
Tomaselli always had her speed on display at Pilgrim, but it
didn’t always lead to production. At Newbury, she got more
chances and capitalized.
“Her speed and her dribbling ability are her biggest
strengths,” Desilets said. “She can take on three or
four players and just keep going.”
Tomaselli led Newbury to a 6-10-2 record and a 4-3-1 mark in
conference play.
Now she gets a new challenge.
The all-star team will meet in Orlando, Fla., on May 17. After
orientation and practice for two days, they’ll hop a flight
to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they’ll play three games. The
team will then travel to Rio de Janeiro for two more games.
The competition will feature some of Brazil’s top under-22
club teams. Steve Kimble, head coach at the College of St. Benedict
in St. Joseph, Minn., will lead the team.
“I think it will be a great experience for Briana,”
Desilets said. “It’s going to broaden her horizons
– she’s going to be playing with girls from all over
the country and they’re going to be training and bonding. I
think it’ll help her a lot.”
It’ll also be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip. The trip
includes educational, social and cultural outreach opportunities
for the all-stars at every stop. They’ll also visit schools
and historic sites around the country.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Tomaselli said.
“Hopefully it’ll be a great trip.”
Already, Tomaselli has been approached about another one. She may
join a similar team for a trip to Italy next summer.
A year ago, she never thought soccer would take her around the
world, but it looks like it just might.
“I never expected this would happen,” she said.
If the traveling helps her soccer career, it’s icing on the
cake. She hopes to build on her impressive freshman campaign with
another good one next year.
“She’s always improving and hopefully she’ll have
another good year next year,” Desilets said. “We want
to go to the NCAA tournament and she’ll be a big part of
trying to get there.”
For now, Tomaselli will be packing her bags and looking forward to
a unique opportunity.
Surprised or not, she’s bound for Brazil.
