By Heather Monahan
Assistant Features Editor
The women’s soccer team is still winless after falling to Hofstra (3-4-0) last Friday.
Today Bonnies travel to Binghamton (5-1-0) for a 7 p.m. game.
“They’re a very athletic team,” said Assistant Coach Morie Kephart. “They’ve won quite a few games this year, so they’re obviously dangerous.”
The Bonnies will be going into the game positive, but still serious.
“We can’t take any team lightly, and right now it’s about proving how capable we are to ourselves and our fans,” said freshman forward Abby Maiello.
Despite the difficult game ahead of them, the team has set its goals high, and focused on what strengths it need to play during the game.
“Our team is known to be dangerous by relying on the ‘death by 1,000 passes’ tactic,” said senior midfielder Nicole Rosso. “If we have the ball, we can control the style and pace of the game.”
Maiello also said they want to create dangerous opportunities to score.
“We want to focus on taking as many shots as possible and testing the keeper.”
Kephart said another goal for the team is to start the game off strong.
“We’ve given up a lot of goals early this year and we’re trying to stay in the game as long as we can,” Kephart said. “We want to get the first goal by just competing right off the bat. I would say that’s what we’re trying to do this week.”
Kephart said one of the team’s biggest strengths is its faith in its ability to succeed.
“We have a lot of heart and belief,” Kephart said. “Most teams, when they’re 0-6-1, get down on themselves, but we continue to believe, which is a very big strength.”
Rosso agreed.
“Our current record doesn’t display the talent we possess,” Rosso said. “It doesn’t bring our team down because we have such a desire for success.”
Maiello said team dynamic is very important throughout the season.
“It’s very important we stick together on the field and keep our team moral up at all times,” she said. “We always have a positive spirit and, with that attitude, we should accomplish great things.”
Rosso added the team’s relative youth as another strength they’ll play on.
“We’re a young team and we have all the pieces of the puzzle. We’re just trying to figure out how to put them together,” she said. “I think the game against Binghamton will begin our puzzle.”
Kephart agrees the team’s youth is something needing work, and stressed technique as one of the team’s strengths.
“We’re a very good technical team, we’re just a little young,” said Kephart. “We just need to be able to be composed in the final third and then we’ll be a really dangerous team to play.”
Maiello said team communication will be a huge advantage as well.
“We have good communication and team chemistry,” Maiello said. “Our abilities to trust each other and find passing lanes on the field are a great success for us.”
Kephart said while she hopes to have a standout player at the end of the game, they’re more focused on the team’s strength.
“It’s always a team effort,” Kephart said. “At the end of the day, everybody has to contribute in order to win. Not one person is more important than anyone else on the field.”
