From Commack, NY, SUNY Cortland’s most memorable player since 2018, had an outstanding farewell tour for the Red Dragons women’s soccer 2022 season. Jaden Galluzzo is finishing her time up at Cortland by receiving her master’s degree in Health education and is officially a Cortland women’s soccer alumni.
In her four years of playing here, Galluzzo accumulated 100 points between goals and assists. She was a key player throughout all four seasons, especially during the teams 2019 SUNYAC finals against Geneseo when Galluzzo scored the game winning goal in overtime. Galluzzo has been a long-lasting member, a three-year captain, and has been a huge inspiration to her teammates.
It is important to shine a light on Galluzzo’s statistics over the past four years, as they are extremely impressive. With her 100 points, Galluzzo was placed 5th all time in Cortland women’s soccer history. She was the 2022 SUNYAC Offensive Player of the year, 2019 SUNYAC Champion, 2019 SUNYAC Tournament MVP, earned three All Team SUNYAC honors (2019,2021,2022), two All Region Teams, and the 2022 Second Team All American.
Galluzzo sat down with Ava Bongiorno to talk about how the team impacted her, her involvement on the team and overall experience. Here is that conversation:
Ava Bongiorno: Tell me about your experience on the women’s soccer team.
Jaden Galluzzo: My experience on the team has overall been very good. Being a member to this team brought me a lot of unforgettable memories, friendships, and challenges that I will forever be thankful for. From coming in as a freshman I wasn’t so sure about playing time, and now here I am, ranked top five of Cortland women’s soccer history.
[Galluzzo clinched the fifth spot out of all former and current women’s soccer players at Cortland, based off her overall points 41 goals and 18 assists.]
JG: My last four years has been an incredible experience; I wouldn’t have come back to use my Covid year of eligibility if the athletic program at Cortland didn’t fit the criteria I was looking for in a school.
AB: Who influenced you in your soccer career?
JG: Before my dad passed away, he was the one who influenced me into playing soccer. Ever since he passed, I felt that I needed to continue playing to live on his legacy and continue to make him proud.
[Jaden’s father, Jeff Galluzzo passed away September 2013. He was battling cancer for four years.]
AB: Based off your final season, how do you feel your game has grown and progressed from where you used to be?
JG: Before coming into college, I had just joined a new team and now looking back I would say my confidence level was at an all-time low. Going into college, I was nervous the same thing would happen when playing with a new team. If you review my stats from freshman year to now, you will see that I have grown as an individual on and off the field, ending my career as a three-year captain.
[In 2018, Galluzzo ended the season with five goals. In 2019, she ended the season with ten goals, six assists. In 2021 Galluzzo ended with 11 goals, six assists. In 2022, Galluzzo ended her farewell tour with 15 goals and six assists which landed her the 100 career points.]
AB: How has being on a team impacted your time here at Cortland?
JG: I feel as though being on a team here has helped me with my time management skills. It has helped me create a basic schedule to keep myself organized with soccer related events, and my schoolwork that. The skills I have learned throughout my four years being a student-athlete, I will continue to use in my future as an educator.
AB: What is some advice you would give to the incoming and current members?
JG: Always stay true to yourself and play the game you play. Appreciate every moment and opportunity given to you, every practice, and every game, because by the time you know it, you will be graduating, and you don’t want to take any of those moments for granted.
AB: What are your plans after completing your masters at Cortland?
JG: I don’t have an exact plan as of right now, because I still have to finish the New York State exams in order to be certified as a Physical Education teacher. My goal for the fall is to become a permanent substitute teacher.