Ribeiro ready for pro debut
Former Clipper star recovered from ACL tear
A little of this, a little of that …
• This is a big week for former Cumberland High School soccer standout Stephanie Ribeiro, presently out in Seattle where the 23-year-old hopes to launch her pro career this coming Saturday.
Official word about Ribeiro’s roster status with the Seattle Reign FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) won’t be revealed until Friday at the earliest, but Ribeiro is very optimistic about her chances.
“Hopefully things go my way. I think everything has gone well, but you’re always looking to get better,” said Ribeiro when reached earlier this week. “I love the city and the soccer environment. Obviously it’s professional, but the coaches are awesome and the girls are very welcoming. I feel like this is where I should be.”
How Ribeiro wound up in the Pacific Northwest in the first place is a fascinating story.
After a banner college career at UConn that concluded in 2016 with a First-Team All-American nod, Ribeiro was taken by FC Kansas City in the second round of the 2017 NWSL Draft with the 17th selection overall. Shortly after that round of good news, she tore her ACL which lowered the curtain on her rookie season before it even started.
While rehabbing diligently with an eye towards a 2018 return, Ribeiro also kept her soccer acumen sharp by remaining active in the game. Last fall, she returned to UConn as a volunteer coach and also lent a hand to the NEU (Northeast United Premier) ‘05 girls’ soccer travel team out of Mansfield, Conn.
After making some calls, Ribeiro was declared a free agent in October. The opportunity to re-join Kansas City was still on the table, but things changed after the franchise ceased operations right before Thanksgiving.
Ribeiro reached out to Seattle management and in no time was extended an invitation to preseason camp that opened on Feb. 19.
“Nothing is guaranteed in this league. Anything can happen,” said Ribeiro. “Look how it started off for me, but you always have to be ready and have Plan B.”
Ribeiro scored a goal in her first scrimmage with Seattle, an accomplishment that helped place last year’s injury completely in the rearview mirror.
“When I’m out there, I’m not really thinking about my injury,” said Ribeiro. “I’m just playing and that feels refreshing. It doesn’t feel like I’m coming off an injury.”
Seattle’s first of 24 regular-season games as part of a nine-team league comes at home on Saturday. The closest NWSL team is based in Piscataway, N.J. Seattle is scheduled to play a game in the Garden State on April 15.
Here’s hoping those close to Ribeiro start booking travel plans once the team nicknamed the Reign lists a certain striker on their opening day roster.
• The R.I. Basketball Coaches Association will stage its annual Senior All-Star Game next Tuesday night (March 27) starting at 6 p.m. at CCRI-Warwick. A few locals made the cut for this 12th grade-only event: St. Raphael’s Huascar Beato, Woonsocket teammates Jaelin Jackson and Ke’Vaughn Davis, and Burrillville’s Dominic Esposito.
• When the Rhode Island Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association convenes for its annual awards banquet on Monday, April 2 at Warwick’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, the organization’s Hall of Fame doors will swing open for two longtime area staples.
Frank Geiselman, retired Cumberland High athletic director and coach, and the late George Nasuti, Woonsocket High athletic director and coach, will be inducted as part of a three-person RIAAA class that includes retired Narragansett High athletic director Rich Adham.
• Veteran Mount St. Charles hockey coach/ Cumberland American Little League coach Dave Belisle is the recipient of the Rhode Island Knights of Columbus’ Hope Award, which according to a press release “recognizes the contributions of an individual who has made a substantial, positive difference in the lives of others during their lifetime.”
As part of the same release, the Knights of Columbus praised Belisle by saying, “David’s passion for his faith, family, youth development and his community make him a most deserving selection as these contributions are perfectly aligned with the mission of the Knights of Columbus. The constructive impact he has had on the lives of children for almost 40 years through his work coaching youth sports is inspiring.”
Belisle will receive the Hope Award at this year’s R.I. Knights’ 125th Anniversary Gala event at the Crowne Plaza on April 21. There have been 14 past recipients, the list includes late Pawtucket Red Sox owner Ben Mondor.
• Honored as 2018 RIIL Basketball Legends during the March 10 boys’ and girls’ basketball state semifinals at URI’s Ryan Center were former Lincoln High boys’ basketball head coach/ Cumberland High alum George L. Aragao, Pawtucket native and veteran official Mike Reeder, and Betsy (Lange) Zancan, former Smithfield star and mom to Cumberland boys’ basketball junior Jackson and CHS girls’ hoops freshman Madison.
• After spending her freshman and sophomore seasons at Coastal Carolina, former Lincoln High softball standout Adriana Toro has returned closer to home to play for URI. The left-handed outfielder is listed as a junior and to date this season has appeared in 15 games for the Rams.
• UMBC’s historical win as a No. 16 seed over top seed Virginia last Friday night in the NCAA Tournament got me thinking. What will be the next big first in sports? There can’t too many left, correct?
• Speaking of March Madness, Cinderella stories have their place until you realize that one of the Sweet 16 matchups includes a No. 11 seed (Loyola-Chicago) taking on a No. 7 seed (Nevada). Give me star power and name recognition over party crashers in the name of top dogs squaring off.
• Judging by the responses, the pace-of-play initiatives coming to Minor League Baseball this season have rankled those who feel the game should stay pure to the initiatives that were devised by Abner Doubleday during the 19th century.
Addressing the rule where a runner is automatically placed on second base when the game requires extra innings, baseball needs to do something to keep the intrigue level up with today’s fans. The old standbys aren’t going to cut it anymore.
Plus, there’s a legitimate chance that those in the stands may see more strategy in a minor league game than they normally would. Picture a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third with one out. Or does the bunt attempt backfire with the runner remaining on second? What do you do then? Do you try and bunt again, this time with one out?
The feeling here is that eventually, these changes that also include limiting the number of mound visits by a catcher and reducing the pitch clock to 15 seconds when there are no runners on base will be accepted as second nature, just like when the NFL modified the overtime policy a few years back.