The New England Mutiny lost its chance to build off the success it had in 2019.
The United Women’s Soccer national pro-am league announced Tuesday morning that it has canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had such a successful season last year and the core players from last year were going to return,” Mutiny General Manager Joe Ferrara said. “We were definitely looking to be a national contender this year.”
Ferrara also serves as league commissioner. There are 25 teams spread among four regions in United Women’s Soccer. The Mutiny play out of Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow.
“There were several conversations with governing bodies, team owners,” Ferrara said. “From day one we worked on contingency plans to have a season, but kept delaying and delaying and delaying, and there came a point, because our league utilizes so many student-athletes that the issue of when they are going back (to school), and when they can be prepared physically with all the current regulations made it too difficult to operate a season.”
According to Ferrara, several local players were scheduled to play for the Mutiny this summer. Returning from last season were former Central Connecticut State midfielder Charlotte Maurer, of Northampton; former Troy defender Lauren Aldrich, of Southampton; UConn redshirt junior midfielder Vissi Rizos, of Westhampton; UMass senior midfielder Nissa Pereira, of Ludlow; Rhode Island sophomore midfielder Carrie Ellis, of Hatfield; and former UMass forward Rebeca Frisk.
New to the team were Stonehill senior Kayla Henry, of Belchertown; Northeastern sophomore Alexis Legowski, of South Hadley; and AIC sophomore Trystin Burger, of Granby.
“It’s disappointing that the New England Mutiny will not take the field for the first time in 20 years,” Ferrara said. “We understand the situation and we’ll get back at it next year.”
The Mutiny won the 2019 East Region regular season championship with 26 points (8-0-2). They advanced to the East Region finals, but fell 2-1 to the Lancaster Inferno.
“It was a great season on and off the field,” Ferrara said. “It was a great crew, tremendous chemistry. We were adding a couple of pieces that we thought would help us get over the top but never had a chance to see it.”
The UWS is crediting its member teams the vast majority of the 2020 fees to ensure the continuation of their support for women’s soccer, while maintaining the financial viability of the league. All teams will receive approximately 80% credit toward next season’s fees.
“Historically, women’s sports teams have always been undervalued and inequality existed before COVID-19. That is all the more reason to do our part in helping clubs bounce back after the impact of the epidemic,” UWS Executive Director Stephanie Cleaves said in a statement. “Giving our member teams a chance to not only survive, but thrive has been our goal since day one. Crediting teams their league fees and exploring alternative options to keep our 2020 season alive are just a few ways UWS is responding to the obstacles we are all facing. We are excited to share some of these initiatives with the public soon.”
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.