Holderness, N.H.
So impressed was the coach watching Lloyd perform for the Phoenix that he isn’t surprised she turned in one of the best freshman seasons in PSU history.
Lloyd is almost certain to receive all-Little East Conference honors and is a strong candidate for rookie of the year after leading the Panthers with 12 goals, seven assists and 31 points. The dozen scoring strikes are third-most ever by a PSU freshman, while the seven assists are at least tied for the most ever by a Panther rookie, according to the school’s information department.
With uncanny speed and assertiveness that belies her somewhat shy personality off the field, Lloyd quickly became the offensive threat the Panthers lacked in the recent past. Her 56 shots were more than double her closest teammates as the Panthers finished 7-9 overall and 1-6 in the Little East, missing the six-team conference tournament by one game.
“I’m actually not surprised at all with what we saw from her,” said Joy, a former player at Concord High and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “It’s pretty much what I expected of her.”
Lloyd, a Hartland native, scored 108 goals in four seasons at Sharon, but held back at times when she desired to get teammates involved or didn’t wish to run up the score.
Being overly modest hasn’t been an issue at Plymouth State, though it required some conscious effort to be more selfish.
“I still love to pass. I think I’m a better passer than shooter,” Lloyd said last month while the team prepared for its season finale at Rhode Island College. “(Sharon coach) Blake (Fabrikant) made me promise I wouldn’t hold back in college, so I’ve been trying to be as aggressive as possible.”
Lloyd’s best game may have been her first career hat trick in a 4-3 home loss to Salem (Mass.) State in mid October. She impressed on all three goals, first bending the ball from the left side off the far post and in. She later gave the Panthers the lead when with her back to the goal, she deftly turned and fired from 20 yards out to the top right corner.
Less than four minutes after that, Lloyd outran Salem State’s defense on a through ball and beat the goalie one-on-one to the lower left side.
“I think she really showed that game that she can score from anywhere on the field,” said Plymouth State senior defender Adrianna Kippenberger. “It definitely added a whole new dimension to our team, to have a scoring threat up top that can score so many different ways. When she turned on a dime and scored, I’m pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve seen that at this level. She just knows exactly where to go with the ball. She can even pass it to her self when she wants to because she’s so quick.”
Lloyd also demonstrated leadership, keeping the team talking during intense moments. Seeing the field well, she made a point to share her observations with teammates.
“The concept of leadership and talking is something I’m conscious about, because I’m actually super shy,” said Lloyd, a nursing major. “I just try to (say) what I see on the field.”
Off the field, Lloyd’s personality has been a hit with teammates.
“She’s actually pretty goofy, which kind of helped us from getting too uptight,” said junior midfielder Kate Martin, a Keene (N.H.) High product. “ You might see her dancing by herself at practice.”
“It’s the music in my head,” said Lloyd, who also considered Norwich University. “I like to make people laugh.”
Despite Lloyd’s contributions, the Panthers had a worse record this year than in 2016, when they went 9-6-3 and reached the conference semifinals. Plymouth State this season adjusted to the loss of former all-conference goalie Annaliese Schmidt, a Newmarket (N.H.) product who had 11 shutouts last season.
“We need to remember that it’s not easy to win games,” said Joy, whose squad fell, 2-0, at Rhode Island College in the season finale to miss the Little East tourney. “When we had a little taste of success, we didn’t always work as hard as we needed to the next time.”
Joy knows it’s only the beginning for Lloyd, whose goal and point totas were both in the top 10 in program history by any player in a single season.
“I feel like she’s a legacy in the making,” the coach said. “We’re already working on the next phase.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.