With the women’s soccer team ending their 2022 season with an overall 13-1-5 record, there is a lot to look forward to in their upcoming season. The Red Dragons unfortunately lost in the SUNYAC Finals against Geneseo back in November, so they are going to come out hungry and eager to win that championship next Fall.
With an estimated roster of 31 players and ten new freshmen coming in, the Red Dragon’s roster is stacked and prepared to show up in the Fall. Head Coach Heidi Axtell and Associate Head Coach Craig Thomas are going to have a difficult time building that starting lineup based off the amount of talent they have on this team. Since majority of the team is returning in the fall, because of the additional ten new players, it is going to be a challenge and fight for all players trying to earn a starting spot.
Besides senior Bryn Thompson, Axtell and Thomas have yet to decide who the other permanent captains will be in their upcoming season. Axtell and Thomas have created a “leadership group” in their off season. The group consists of players they believe have the potential to be a captain, but they want to see how they act during off-season before giving them the position. As of right now, the group consists of sophomore Katie Cosenza, junior Cam Stone, junior Simone Neivel, and sophomore Kristen Spendal.
Unfortunately for the Red Dragon’s, their leading goal scorer Jaden Galluzzo has used up all her years of eligibility and will not be returning in the fall. Since Galluzzo isn’t returning, there will be multiple players ready to fill that spot.
“I think multiple people will step up to the plate and work together to fulfill my spot to the best of their abilities,” Galluzzo said. “I hope that the team is successful when given scoring opportunities and I am extremely excited to see what the incoming freshmen have to offer in the Fall.”
Senior forward Jayden Kelley will be a player to watch this upcoming Fall. Since last season was her first time playing after tearing her ACL in 2021, Kelley is going to be completely recovered and an absolute animal in the front line and hungry to win.
With the Red Dragons being a younger based team, Galluzzo who is a graduate student, and senior Katrina Klammer, will be graduating this year. Although it’s not always the best to have a younger based team, it has always seemed to work in the Red Dragons favor.
“I think the team is going to thrive next season,” Thompson said. “The people we did graduate were two starting captains who made a major impact on and off the field, but they were great mentors to the younger girls, which will help people follow in their footsteps this coming season.”
In their off season, The Red Dragons have been working on multiple things. While fitness seems to be one of Axtell and Thomas’ top priorities right now, they are also implementing drills that will help the team from turning the ball over, and not force passes. The team tends to turn the ball over when they get flustered, so they are working on keeping the ball at their feet and reduce turn overs they create.