Aaron Johnson – Sports Editor
San Paulo, Brazil is a long way from New Haven, Conn. but for former Southern Connecticut State soccer star Suzane Pires, the journey was well worth it.
“When I first came here,” she said. “I wanted to know I would I have a chance to make it to the professional level.”
Mission accomplished for Pires as she signed with the Boston Breakers of the National Women’s Soccer League, making her one of the first Division II players to play in the league.
“It’s pretty cool. I can’t even explain,” she said. “When the manager called me I wanted to just jump up and down. Then after I got off the phone my first instinct was to call my family.”
While at Southern, Pires was a mainstay for Coach Adam Cohen. A starter for the majority of her four years, Pires was able to work hard enough to make her dream a reality.
“I was so proud of Suzane,” said Cohen. “I was happy for her. She had a dream to come to the states to play professionally and she was just an absolute pleasure to coach.”
Pires was an All-New England, All-Region and All-Northeast-10 Conference selection during her time playing for the Owls. However she said the transition from Southern to the professional level was easier than she originally thought it would be.
“Since I came over I became a lot more athletic,” Pires said. “I use to only play soccer but since I came to Southern I was lifting while also playing. The transition from Southern to the Breakers wasn’t that difficult because of it.”
During her career at Southern, Pires finished with 63 points. Those 63 points showed her versatility as a scorer and also a facilitator. She finished her career with 25 goals scored, 13 assists, and during her senior season an average of four shots on goal per game. Cohen said Pires’ consistency came from the incredible work ethic that she had off the field.
“You never had to motivate Suzane,” he said. “She was always so self-motivated.”
Cohen said Pires was the model player and really bought into the philosophy of the team. Also her making it to the professional level is a testament to not only the philosophy that Southern women’s soccer has, but also the amazing dedication and work that she put in over the course of her career.
“It’s part of our philosophy and core values,” Cohen said. “Persistent and consistent hard work and it really is a testament to Suzane and our program that you can achieve your dreams by working hard. She is a great ambassador for our soccer program.”
The National Women’s Soccer League was formed in 2012 following the folding of the Women’s Professional Soccer league. The NWSL has eight teams and has national United States stars such as Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, and Abby Wambach. Pires said for her to be at the point she is now, to come from Brazil to Southern and now finally to the Boston Breakers and to see her hard work finally paying off it one of the best feelings in the world.
“It was always a dream of mine to play professionally,” she said. “There was a lot of hard work I remember over the years. It’s just really nice to see all that work paying off.”
Photo Credit: Maurizio D’Arrigo
