Jocelyn Savastano–A Nose for Goals
By Allen Lessels

Here's the scary thing about Jocelyn Savastano for those who have to play against the Saint Anselm soccer standout the next couple of seasons: she’s only going to get better.

“I don’t have any ball skills,” Jocelyn said. “Well, I do. But I can improve on them.”

Just what the folks at New England College and around the Northeast-10 want to hear.

Savastano made the record books and Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Faces in the Crowd” feature last fall by scoring seven goals in Saint Anselm’s 8-0 win against New England College. Her seven goals tied the NCAA Division II single-game record and set the NE-10 and school record.

Then there were the four goals the sophomore scored in a win over New Jersey Tech, and four more against Colby-Sawyer.

In all, she had 23 goals in 12 games—she missed several games at mid-season with a knee injury—and in her first two years has scored 34 goals in 28 games.

“She has a tremendous nose for goals,” said coach Dean Schneider. “Once she’s inside the 18-yard line, it’s over. She’s explosive.”

Speed is a huge part of Savastano’s game.

“She pretty much can beat any defender she goes up against,” said Nicole Dunn, Jocelyn’s roommate and a teammate since they first played club soccer together back in Plymouth, Mass., in sixth grade.

Still, Savastano wants to add the ball skills. Schneider wants her to improve her one-on-one play. Mostly, they all want wins. The Hawks have not had a winning season in women’s soccer since 1999.

They had a 5-2 record last fall when Savastano got hurt and then they struggled to score goals while she was out, losing seven straight games.

She returned against Lowell with three games left in the season. With less than a minute left, Savastano got behind the defense.

“She went right at the keeper and put it away,” Coach Schneider said. “She’s the greatest finisher I’ve seen in my 18 years of coaching.”

In their next game, the Hawks beat Assumption, ranked No. 21 in the country, on a goal by Nicole Dunn, the team’s second-leading scorer. They then played well in a 4-1 loss to powerhouse Franklin Pierce in the last game of the year. Jocelyn had the only goal.

The strong finish by a young team fuels hopes for a big season next year.

“We should be winning,” said Savastano, a sociology major who loves babysitting and wants to be a coach and elementary school teacher.

Schneider recalls a tournament game he watched when he was recruiting Jocelyn.

“I was blown away,” he said. “She showed tremendous heart. They were down 2-0 at the half and came back. She scored three goals and they won 3-2.”

Savastano didn’t know a whole lot about Saint Anselm and came up on a recruiting visit.

“The girls were just incredible,” said Savastano, who grew up playing hockey and baseball with her brothers before turning to soccer and softball. “I fell in love right then with the school, the team, and the friendly the environment.”

It’s been a good fit for all concerned.

“She’s a major catch for Saint Anselm,” Schneider said. “What I love about her is her humility. There’s no arrogance. She works hard every practice. She’s a tough kid, a very tough kid.”

And wait until she gets her ball skills down. Yeah, just wait until next year.