Providence girls’ soccer quintet scores All-Independence League awards
Orla Dempsey had her own goals for her freshman campaign with the Providence High girls’ soccer team this past season.
But more important than her individual accomplishments was one team goal: to win a league championship.
Dempsey did her part to make that goal a reality, as she led the Pioneers in scoring and helped them capture the program’s second straight Independence League title.
For her efforts, Dempsey was voted the Independence League Player of the Year.
“I was really very surprised when I found out that I had won it,” said Dempsey, who played all over the field from forward to center-back to attacking midfielder to holding midfielder. “I really wasn’t expecting to get something like this, so it was definitely a shocker.
“I just wanted to step in this season as a freshman and do my best and help the team all that I could. I wanted to achieve some of my personal goals this season, but winning the league was the most important goal and that’s what mattered the most.”
Four other Providence players were recognized on the singular all-league team: senior midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald, junior center-back Shannon Walsh, freshman midfielder Cecile Habash and freshman center-back Kylee Obermeyer.
Providence finished 11-2-2 and won the league championship with a 7-1 mark.
Dempsey made an instant impact in her first season with the Pioneers, pacing the team with nine goals to go along with six assists.
“I think there were a couple of players for us who had great seasons, but it was Orla who was probably the most polished and was the most complete player in terms of attacking and defending for us, so I think that’s why she got the nod,” Providence coach Brett LeQuesne said. “Orla just has a really good workrate and she just has a very good feel for the game and what she needs to do and what her role and her responsibility for the team is. She is also quite fearless, and that is a very good trait to have.”
Fitzgerald, who was the 2017 league player of the year, finished with eight goals and five assists.
“Kelly just brought such a great leadership to the team and for the other players,” LeQuesne said. “She was a leader for us on and off the field. She just sets such a positive example for the rest of the team. The talents she brought to the field just made her a great player for us.”
Habash proved to be an offensive threat for the Pioneers, tallying eight goals and dishing out seven assists.
“She was a solid, hard-working player,” LeQuesne said. “She gave us a lot in terms of delivery of the ball on set pieces and being able to attack and be aggressive. She was super consistent every game and that was something that we could rely on.”
In helping Providence on the defensive end, Obermeyer had two goals and Walsh contributed a goal and an assist.
“Kylee was just a super steady player and rock solid for us,” LeQuesne said. “She played well and because of how she played at her position that allowed other players like Orla and Cecile and Kelly to do their thing because she was so stable in the back.
“Shannon is just a real competitor and she really plays hard. In a game, she rarely lets people get past her and if someone does, she goes after them and makes up for it. She is just a real steady worker.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
