When the women’s soccer team played in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than a decade Friday, sophomore forward Ellyn Grant-Keane said she felt more pressure on her than she had the entire season.
Less than one month after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs, the women’s soccer team is among the final four teams competing for a national championship.
The women’s soccer team’s 2011 season nearly ended after it was upset in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament over the weekend, but the Bombers clinched an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs.
Junior Rachael Palladino’s passion for soccer has been challenged throughout her two and a half seasons as a forward on the women’s soccer team. But she has responded to each obstacle with diligence and humility to become one of the program’s most prolific players.
The women’s soccer team has been clicking on all cylinders this season, maintaining its spot atop the Empire 8 Conference. But the sophomores have been the anchors of this year’s squad, stepping up in key moments and improving on their plays from last season.
In the past four seasons, the women’s soccer team has averaged 59 goals per season and is already outscoring opponents 20-5 through five games this season. But the Blue and Gold’s defensive play often flies under the radar in their blowout wins.
With six players graduated and early injuries to upperclassmen, the scoring for the women’s soccer team falls on the shoulders of a younger group of players this season.
