Friday night’s game for Central Connecticut’s women’s soccer team was a night where they honored their seven seniors, marking their final home game as a Blue Devil.

But it won’t be their final game on CCSU turf because they clinched the Northeast Conference regular-season title. This means they will host the conference tournament, as they have yet to lose an in-conference game on the season.

Though it was a quiet night for one of the seniors being honored, goalkeeper Ashley Cavanaugh (who had to record just three saves) has been perhaps the most instrumental piece to the teams’ success, posting a shutout in 10 contests of the year while allowing no more than one goal in per game with the exception of one game this season.

Despite the overwhelming success, it is only Cavanaugh’s second year as the starting keeper for the Blue Devils. For two years, she sat behind Nicki Turley, who was a three-time NEC Goalkeeper of the Year.

Though she only appeared in eight contests in the two-year span, she did not mind sitting and included some words of wisdom from goalkeeper coach Shawn Kelly.

“You come here with the intention to play,” Cavanaugh said.

“Our goalkeeper coach tells us at the beginning of the season ‘your job is not to be a backup goalkeeper. Your job is to be the best goalkeeper on this team.’ That’s what motivates all of us to work hard. I had no problem sitting on the bench and I will support whoever is in front of me and I expect the people behind me to do the same.”

Cavanaugh said she enjoyed her two years playing behind Turley and called herself “a better goalkeeper today because of her.”

But when she was finally handed the reigns, she made her impact quickly, posting nine shutouts, including a streak of six to end the season, propelling her team to the NEC tournament, all while averaging under one goal given up per game.

This performance led to her being named NEC Goalkeeper of the Year, a feat she is surely in contention to achieve once again.

But Cavanaugh attributes her success to the stellar play of the team’s defense.

“I’ve had that support every year that I’ve been here,” Cavanaugh said of the defense. “We’ve always had a strong defense. Any of my success, I completely accredit to them. I’d be absolutely nothing without them. It’s always a team effort.”

She continued by saying “my team makes me the best goalkeeper I can be because I’d be nothing without them. I just try to come out here and work as hard as I can every day, every game, every practice and hope that good comes out of it.”

But following the conference tournament, Cavanaugh will pass the torch to a new goalkeeper, and she has strived to be the same kind of mentor that Turley was to her.

“We have to challenge each other. If we don’t challenge each other, it’s just a race against ourselves at that point. You might not be getting better if that’s the case,” she said.

Cavanaugh feels her team can continue its NEC dominance once the tournament starts and is pleased it will be taking place at home.

“I think we can go far,” Cavanaugh said. “I think we’re going to have a great atmosphere here, our home field. I can’t wait.”