by O'Livia Lopes '26 on November 4, 2023
Sports Staff
Sports
The Providence College women’s soccer team has opened their season strong with five straight shutout wins. This winning streak was made possible by the finishes of Meg Hughes ’24, making her this week’s Athlete of the Week.
Hughes’s collegiate career here at PC is one of consistent growth and outreach in her abilities as a forward. Since her freshman year, her playing time was consistent in every game including a handful of appearances in the starting lineups. Not only was Hughes’s presence recorded on the field, but her contributions were valuable as she led the Friars with 14 points, six assists, and tied for first on the team in goals. As a first-year forward, Hughes became the second player in program history to earn Big East Freshman of the Year on top of the second first-year player to earn Big East honors in the history of PC’s Women’s Soccer program. Her leadership role did not slow down, but rather progressed on to her second year when she led the Friars for a second time with 22 points, nine goals and four assists. She was also named Big East Offensive Player of the Week two times throughout the 2020-2021 season. It’s clear to see the central role Hughes plays for the women’s team as well as her development as an individual player. In the 2022 season of her junior year, Hughes claimed a preseason spot on the All-Big East Team and was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division 1 Players to Watch List for forwards. Now, as Hughes plays her senior season, she continues to contribute to the huge and recent wins of the Friars.
The first match against Iona University was one remarkable start to the season with seniors Kyla Gallagher and Meg Hughes both striking goals in the first 46 seconds, securing their lead for the rest of the game. One win later, it was the Friars’ turn against the University of Rhode Island where after a scoreless 25 minutes, Hughes put the Friars in the lead with a goal that gave Providence their third consecutive win. It also gave Hughes an entry into the 10 all-time in career scoring at PC, with 47 points to her name. After a fourth win for the Friars against cross-city rival Brown University, Hughes scored her third goal of the season. This was also the opening goal l for the Friars to earn their fifth straight win with a final score of 5–0 against Temple University. Without a doubt, Hughes has served as a leader for the Friars and will continue to gain traction as she paves the way for the future of her soccer career beyond PC. The rest of this season anticipates the coming accomplishments Hughes will add to the shelf as she helps lead the Friars through a season that looks confidently toward the remainder of the fall.