Veronica Napoli was the rookie of the year in the Colonial Athletic Association, after scoring 29 points this season, second in NU women's soccer's 13-year history.

Northeastern University photo

She broke school scoring records, played on an undefeated state championship team as a sophomore and was captain and first-team All-State as a junior and senior.

So where is Veronica Napoli, of Newport and the Prout School, now? Enjoying a fantastic first year with the Northeastern University women's soccer team.

Napoli and the Huskies won their first Colonial Athletic Association championship Sunday and will make their NCAA Tournament debut Friday night. She led the team in scoring and last Thursday was named the CAA rookie of the year and All-CAA third team.

"I never expected it. At the banquet when they called my name, I was very surprised. It's a great honor, and I'm very happy," she said of the rookie of the year recognition.

Napoli and two other freshmen from Rhode Island, Laura Holmstedt, of Cranston, and Stefanie Raiola, of Bristol, contributed to a stunning turnabout for Northeastern women's soccer. The 2007 team, beset by injuries, staggered to a 4-11-3 finish, 2-7-2 in the CAA. Healthy and infused with freshman talent, the 2008 Huskies rebounded for an 11-8-1 regular-season record, 6-5 in the CAA, and qualified for the CAA tournament by beating Hofstra in the Oct. 30 regular-season finale on Napoli's overtime goal. In the quarterfinals and semifinals NU stunned UNC Wilmington and James Madison, teams it had lost to two weeks earlier. NU defeated Hofstra again for the championship and a ticket to the NCAA.

Northeastern will play Harvard Friday night in a first-round game at Boston College's soccer field, in Newton. The Crimson defeated the Huskies, 2-1, on Sept. 17 at Harvard.

Napoli never expected she would be watching the NCAA selection show Monday night.

"I actually thought I'd go out for Halloween because the season would be over. But then we won and made the playoffs," she said.

Napoli has 12 goals and 5 assists for 29 points this season, second in NU's 13-year women's soccer history. She is tied for fourth in the league in goals and is fifth in points. She scored her first collegiate goal against New Hampshire on Sept. 12 and notched her first hat trick in a 3-2 victory over Drexel on Sept. 27. Her deciding shot against Hofstra on Oct. 30, a game Northeastern had to win to claim the sixth and last playoff berth, started with a steal, continued with a break and ended with her scoring inside the right post.

She was the CAA player of the week after the Drexel game and the rookie of the week three times.

But the highlight of her season occurred last Sunday at Williamsburg, Va., when Northeastern edged Hofstra, 1-0, in double overtime for the CAA championship.

"It was probably the best feeling ever," she said. "We had to beat them to get into the playoffs. That was a very tough game. The championship game was even tougher."

Napoli said her four years of soccer at Prout were "a lot of fun" and that coach Kevin Kennedy prepared her for the college game and "to becoming what I am now."

She learned quickly that the difference between Division II/III in high school and Division I in college is huge.

"High school was, like, exciting. College is 10 times better. I feel so much more accomplished," she said. "High school was fun. College is a lot more mental and tougher. It's a lot of work."

Preseason camp in August "was pretty tough, probably the hardest experience I've had. The fitness test, we didn't do that in high school."

Another difference is the amount of time that college athletes spend together.

"Everything is involved with the team. We're like family, pretty much. It's a different experience from the normal college student. We really do everything together. It's fun," she said.

At 5-1, Napoli is the smallest and perhaps fastest player on coach Ed Katz's team, and she is garnering a big reputation early in her collegiate career.

"I hate the attention. I really don't like it," she said. "I think everyone does it together. No one does it by herself."

Holmstedt and Raiola were teammates at La Salle Academy, won state championships as freshmen and sophomores and were runners-up as juniors and seniors. Holmstedt was All-State and All-New England last year. Raiola was All-Division in soccer and All-State in track. She ran a leg on the 4x200 relay team that won the New England championship.

Holmstedt, a forward, has played every game this season and started two and is looking for her first goal. Raiola, also a forward, has appeared in two games.

mszostak@projo.com