Hall of Fame
Melissa Gelardi is undoubtedly the most prolific playmaker in the history of Women’s Soccer at the College of Staten Island. A record-setter for both the Dolphins and the NCAA, Gelardi holds a distinction that few will ever experience in their collegiate careers.
Gelardi joined the Dolphins in 2011 following a season in which CSI won 11 games and went 5-1 against the CUNYAC in the regular season. She helped the Dolphins improve their win total by two games during her freshman campaign and dished out 13 assists. Gelardi was named a CUNYAC All-Star for the first time that season, and the Dolphins went on to win the 2011 CUNYAC Championship.
During her sophomore year, Gelardi nearly doubled her assist total from the prior year finishing the season with a career-high 24, a Dolphins single-season record that still stands as she enters the Hall of Fame. She also earned her second CUNYAC All-Star selection behind 30 total points. However, no career accolade matched what was to come for Gelardi the following season in 2013.
Gelardi’s junior year saw the CSI playmaker register another 4 goals and 23 assists. This earned her a third CUNYAC All-Star selection and helped the Dolphins to 16 wins. In what is perhaps the defining moment in the history of CSI Women’s Soccer, Gelardi made NCAA history on October 20, 2013 when she set the Division III record for assists in a game. Her nine assists in a 12-0 CSI victory over Medgar Evers set a record that still stands ten years later.
In her final season with the Dolphins in 2014, Gelardi set a career-high in goals with five and added another 16 assists. This gave Gelardi the three highest single-season assist totals in the history of the CSI Women’s Soccer program and brought her assist total for her career to 76, another program record. She also became a four-time CUNYAC All-Star in her senior year and helped lead the Dolphins to another appearance in the conference championship.
Gelardi remains the program’s all-time leader in assists and ranks among the leaders in both points and shots as she enters the Hall of Fame. Her career is one that garnered national attention for CSI Athletics, something that few student-athletes can say they achieved during their time at the College of Staten Island.
