By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- She became the starting goalkeeper for the Bridgewater State University women's soccer team in the third game of the 2022 season.

Logan Levesque (Bristol, R.I.) was a freshman who had been on the BSU campus for just a short time when she made her collegiate debut on Sept. 6, 2022 against Suffolk University.

Levesque won four straight games, three by shutout, to get her career going and has left the lineup for only three games since becoming the starter as a newcomer to the program.

With five regular-season games to go this fall and a full 2025 season as a senior, Levesque already ranks among the all-time goalkeeping leaders in several categories at BSU.

She was selected to the All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference second team as a freshman and sophomore and has helped the Bears get off to a 7-3-2 start, including 3-0-1 in the MASCAC, this season.

"This is definitely the space we saw her in," said BSU coach Yasmina Carvalho. "Goalkeepers are hard to find. They really are. We knew if we were going to get a solid goalkeeper who comes in with things we can work with, then they can grow within our program and get the right training so they just get better and better each year.

"She's on the right path. Can she explode next year and be even better? Yeah I do think so. I think she can get to the point of being the best goalkeeper we've ever had at Bridgewater State. I think she can be better if she puts her head down and puts in the work this offseason."

Since joining the starting lineup early in the '22 season, Levesque sat out games against Roger Williams and Framingham State in September 2023. She did not play in one non-conference game this season against Gordon College.

In 43 games as the starter, Levesque has been a reliable keeper for the Bears, compiling a 1.28 goals against average with 226 saves while going 26-13-4.

She ranks third at BSU in career shutouts behind Lauren DeSousa (24, 2015-17) and BSU Hall of Famer Tracey Ullathorne (21.5, 1992-95) with 16, and is fourth in career wins (12 behind leader Ullathorne) and goals against average.

Levesque is also seventh in saves, games played and minutes played (3,793:40).

"It's just so much fun to me," said Levesque of playing goalkeeper. "I like being able to help out my team in a different way than everyone else. I like stopping shots.

"I think I've improved a lot. It's very different than high school and club. Having goalie training in college has helped me a lot.

"It's gone a lot better here than I thought. Freshman year, I thought it'd be a learning year. I didn't expect to play at all. I got in and I have been playing ever since."

Levesque won 10 games in each of her first two seasons and posted goals against averages of 1.31 and 1.10. She led the MASCAC in wins and shutouts (six) as a sophomore when BSU won the regular-season title and reached the tournament championship game.

This season, Levesque has recorded shutouts in two of the past three games against Framingham State and Salem State. The Bears are idle until Saturday at noon when they host the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at Mazzaferro Field.

Levesque was a three-year starter at Mount Hope High in Rhode Island and followed in the footsteps of older sister Sawyer, who was a goalkeeper.

"My older sister was a goalie, so my whole life, I saw her and was like, 'That's pretty cool,' and I wanted to be like her,'' said Levesque, who was six years old when she began playing soccer.

She looked into Bridgewater State since it wasn't far from home and because she wanted to become a physical therapist.

Injuries during her soccer playing days have resulted in physical therapy, so Levesque was drawn to the field.

"I realized I wanted to stay around sports. It's been part of my whole life,'' said Levesque. "I decided on physical therapy because I've had physical therapy a few times in my life and it seems like a cool job.

"Without physical therapy, I probably wouldn't be playing right now. I want to be able to help out other athletes and stay involved."

Levesque is still going through physical therapy for a back ailment that occurred while diving during offseason goalie training.

That has not stopped Levesque from her continued success as the Bears bid for a second straight MASCAC regular-season title.

"She put in the work as a freshman,'' said Carvalho. "She had all the basics coming in as a freshman that you can build off of as a goalkeeper. Her footwork was great, her timing was great. The only thing we needed to work on was her side-to-side explosiveness and the ability to stop the second and third shot.

"She's grown leaps and bounds from freshman year. She's just getting better and better."

The improvement has earned Levesque recognition in the BSU record book as she keeps climbing the all-time lists.

"It's really cool to see,'' said Levesque. "I didn't think I'd be in a record book."

The Bears' defensive unit and Levesque work hand-in-hand to limit the scoring by opponents.

MASCAC teams have two goals in four games against BSU this season after getting only two goals in nine games (including the tournament) a year ago.

"It helps me out so much," said Levesque of the stingy defense. "I give a lot of credit to the defense for (the few goals allowed). They keep the ball out of our half."

The Bears were the No. 1 seed in the MASCAC tourney a year ago but lost to Westfield State in the final at home.

Levesque and BSU are aiming to get to the NCAA tournament this season with a MASCAC title.

"I definitely want to win a championship," she said. "We were so close last year. I want to get one so bad. I think we have the team to do it."