WSOC Looking For Strong Finish
Oct 21 | Women's Soccer
By Frank Kineavy
ScarletKnights.com
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- As Rutgers transitioned into a new era, it didn't take long for one of its programs to reach a milestone on Oct. 11, when the women's soccer team earned the No. 7 spot in the NCSA Top 25, the program's highest ranking since 2009. The accomplishment marks the first time a Rutgers athletic program has been in the Top 25 in the nation as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Under the new direction of long-time assistant Mike O'Neill, the squad has assembled an overall record of 11-2-1 and finds itself in the middle of the Big Ten race with a 7-2-1 conference record.
The Scarlet Knights announced themselves as a contender when they upset then-No. 6 ranked Penn State, 1-0, on the road on the foot of forward Madison Tiernan, a part of a crop of young talent that was former coach Glenn Crooks' last recruiting class. That victory propelled the Scarlet Knights to solidify a top four position in the Big Ten.
Entering the final three games of the year this weekend - all on the road -- Rutgers is tied with Wisconsin and Michigan for second place in the league standings, three points behind Penn State. The Scarlet Knights' outlook for the conference tournament relies heavily on this upcoming week, as they will face both Wisconsin and Minnesota, which is currently two games behind Rutgers.
Sophomore Erin Smith is comfortable the team is prepared for this important road trip. The defensive back from Medford Lakes, N.J. has established herself as an integral part of a stout Rutgers defense.
"My thoughts (on the road trip) are to relax and act like it's just another game," said Smith. "But if I think of them any more than just a game, I'll psych myself out."
Smith brings a valuable winning pedigree to the Rutgers program. While earning All-America honors at Shawnee (N.J.) High School, she also had a stellar career on the club level, playing for the Players Development Academy (PDA) South Crush U-18 team, which was ranked No. 7 in the nation. Having an athlete who comes onto campus with that championship experience can be invaluable for sustaining a program's success, with the Scarlet Knights coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Smith feels her experience playing for championship teams has taught her to embrace the role of the underdog because you can play your game when you have nothing to lose.
"It's almost better that way because when you win, the feeling is amazing," she said.
In order to capture the Big Ten regular season championship, Smith thinks the Scarlet Knights need to stay together as a team and focus on their goal. She also emphasized emptying the tank both physically and emotionally.
"As our coach says, 'We'll rest in December when we're done,' and I believe that if we all stay together and keep working hard we have the best chance of winning it all," Smith said.
As Smith is a key component of Rutgers youth movement, senior Brielle Buis has provided Rutgers with the experience and leadership needed to navigate the demanding Big Ten schedule. Since Buis walked on to campus as a freshman, she has been a part of a monumental transition period for the soccer program in the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics.
During Buis' career, she has competed in the Big East, the American Athletic Conference and the Big Ten. Despite all the fluidity, Buis is happy Rutgers has found a home in the Big Ten and is enjoying the top notch competition that this soccer conference has to offer.
"Each conference for soccer was pretty competitive, but the level of the Big Ten, is much more competitive," she said. "But all of the girls have stepped up to the challenge."
As one of the five seniors on this squad, Buis is looked upon by her teammates as a source of leadership, but she humbly emphasizes the quality team dynamic that has developed throughout the 2014 campaign.
"Sure, as an upperclassman I have been able to aid the younger girls … but they all help me too," she said.
That trust has translated onto the field, where players feel they can be a little more aggressive because they have a teammate to cover for them. Besides being a force on the soccer pitch, Buis is also an exceptional writer and an aspiring journalist. She just completed an internship at Sports Illustrated, and hopes to land a job at a magazine or newspaper upon graduating in May.
Accompanying Buis with the leadership role, Maggie Morash has made her mark on the Scarlet Knights family well beyond Yurcak Field. When she discovered the diagnosis of aplastic anemia in her 7-year-old cousin Mason, Morash decided to organize "R U the Match."
Her first event was held last spring during the Princeton game. The program invited local youth soccer teams and they played in "R U the Match" t-shirts, which they threw into the crowd after the game to raise awareness for bone marrow transplants and the importance of registering to be a bone marrow donor.
The entire team joined the bone marrow registry. In addition, it was a Rutgers family effort to get Morash's initiative off the ground.
"I got help from so many corners of the Athletic Department to help make the event a success, ranging from our Senior Associate Athletic Director Kate Hickey, to Anthony Hernandez in media, and Tim DeMartin at R Vision," she said. "We are happy to report that, although Mason is still waiting for a donor, he is healthy enough to go back to school this fall."
The future is bright for Rutgers women's soccer, but as Buis says, "The highlight of my career is right here, right now."
"We are making Rutgers History," she added. "We are the first Rutgers women's soccer team to be in the Big Ten, this is our inaugural season of the Big Ten, we are the first Rutgers ranked team in the Big Ten.
This team will continue in its quest to make Rutgers history as the regular season comes to a close.
The Big Ten Championship Tournament will be held in West Lafayette, Ind., beginning on Nov. 5. The champion of that event will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
