WALTHAM, Mass. – Seniors Corinne Messier (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) and McKenzie Sullivan (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) will be the captains of the Bentley women's soccer team, head coach Lauren Lukis announced on the eve of the 2022 season.

"They have both put in the hard work, dedication and commitment to the team and have grown stronger by overcoming adversity with injuries," Lukis said. "They are both well-spoken and well-liked by their teammates and always willing to take on extra responsibility. As a coaching staff, we are excited to work with Corinne and Sully and are confident that they will help lead our team to achieve our goals."

Messier played in all 17 matches last season as a back and started the final nine matches of the season after she claimed a starting role.

A dual major in health studies and business studies, she earned the NE10 Academic Excellence Award for the fall semester for a 4.0 GPA.

Sullivan is a midfielder and played in 15 matches last season. She scored a clutch goal in Bentley's 2-1 victory over St. Anselm in the final match of the regular season to help the team secure a home playoff match.

She is a marketing major, with a double minor in management and computer information systems.

The Falcons are set to embark on the 2022 season with the goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament after they narrowly missed out on an at-large bid last season. Several key players from last season graduated, but a strong spring season and preseason camp set the foundation for the team to hit the ground running.

"We feel that last season ended too soon and we're willing to do whatever it takes to get back to an NCAA berth," Lukis said.

Lukis has an experienced squad with nine seniors, who got a taste of the NCAA Tournament as freshman during the 2019 season. In addition to Messier and Sullivan, the senior class features goalkeeper Rachel Zumberg, forward Haley Bernhardt, midfielders Brooke Jones, Liliana Silva, Mackenzie Ryan and Aidan Hopkins and defender Jayne Conry.

Two of last season's leading goal scorers return in sophomore Sydney O'Connor (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) and senior Brooke Jones (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury). Both made an immediate impact in their first seasons as Falcons. O'Connor was named second team All-NE10 and to the All-Rookie team, and Jones was voted third team All-Conference after she transferred from Fairfield.

Sophomore Jillian Hendriksen (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) is another returning All-Conference player. The center back was named third team All-Conference and All-Rookie after she started all 17 matches and led the team in minutes played. She is again expected to help lead the defense, which has been a hallmark of the team the last few seasons and among the strongest in the NE10.

In goal, Claire Ewen (Arlington, Mass./Arlington) gained valuable experience last season as a freshman with three starts and five total appearances. She earned the win in her first career start with a clean sheet against Franklin Pierce, and also earned a win against Stonehill.

The Falcons get the season started on Friday against Wilmington University in Delaware, and they also take on East Region rival Molloy on Sunday in Delaware.

The first home match of the season is on August 31 against Franklin Pierce in a non-conference match. That is the first of a four-match home stand that features the first two NE10 matches of the season, against Assumption on Sept. 13 and New Haven on Sept. 17.

Fans can follow the women's soccer team all season long at BentleyFalcons.com for the latest results, news and stats. All of the team's home games and NE10 games will be streamed live on NE10 Now.