CHELSEA RAIRDON, Senior-Soccer

• SMAA all-star, honorable mention

• Team’s Defensive Player of the Year

• Captain

Rairdon saw a ton of shots this fall and rose to the challenge, keeping a positive attitude to ensure her teammates had a memorable season.

Rairdon started playing soccer at a young age and came to McAuley for her junior year. She made an immediate impact in her first season as a Lion, leading the league in saves and making the all-conference second-team. This fall, Rairdon shared time early with Jordyn Carr, then made quite an impact, stopping a grand total of 267 shots.

Rairdon made 16 saves against Deering, stopped 12 shots against Scarborough, 10 versus Massabesic, 15 against Thornton Academy and 18 in a close 2-1 loss to Cheverus in the finale. 

“It was a lot of fun,” Rairdon said. “I wanted to keep it fun for the freshmen. It was fun setting all those shots. I love the position of goalie. I’m very competitive and I want to win. I contribute the best I can and give my all.”

Rairdon also plays guard/forward on the always strong McAuley basketball team and will be the third baseman in softball in the spring. She also belongs to Key Club, Student Council and the Social Action Club.

Rairdon is considering playing soccer or basketball in college. She plans eventually to go to medical school. 

Chelsea Rairdon, McAuley’s Fall Athlete of the Year, proved that a positive attitude can do wonders and she certainly made the most of a challenging situation.

Coach Vince Aceto‘s comment: “From the minute she showed up to preseason two years ago, Chelsea has had an impact like no other player in the 13 years I’ve coached girls’ soccer. She is a student of the game who has a desire to learn as much as she can. You can’t help but be drawn to her physical presence in the goal and in awe of what she brings every day to practice. She has what she likes to call a ‘confident walk.’ When she headed out on the field with that confidence it brought everyone else up around her. It is how she just lives her life every day and is always willing to share it with others. She has been an inspiration to the team, the coaches and defines how a student-athlete at McAuley should model themselves.”

Prior winners:

2014: Ayla Tartre (soccer)

2013: Katherine Lake (soccer)

2012: Adele Werner (cross country)

2011: Molly Miller (soccer)

2010: Maura Esten (soccer)

2009: Lauren Fecteau (cross country)

2008: Olivia Mackenzie (cross country)

2007: Olivia Mackenzie (cross country)

2006: Mikayla Call (soccer)

2005: Abby Iselborn (cross country)

2004: Jill Johnson (cross country)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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