Junior forward Domenica Piccoli moves the ball up the field in the Knights 4-0 victory over Utica College on Saturday Sept. 1. The team is off to a strong start going 2-0 on the weekend (Keith walters/ director of multimedia).
For the fifth season in a row, Geneseo women’s soccer began with a bang. With two shutout games against New England College and Utica College, the currently undefeated team plans for continued excellence as the reigning SUNYAC Champions.
At the back-to-back home games on Friday Aug. 31 and Saturday Sept. 1, the Knights reenacted how they won last year by setting up camp in their opponents’ territory. Against NEC, the team boasted a combined 16 shots on goal, compared to two shots on goal from their opponent.
Against Utica, Geneseo scored four goals and recorded another six shots on goal, while Utica only got off one shot on goal—which senior goalkeeper Emily Janiszewski saved.
“As a goalie, I barely touched the ball,” Janiszewski said. “My defense did incredible and we had a lot of possession up front.”
Up front, a combined six Knights scored over both games. Sophomore midfielder Ellie Gregory scored in the first half against NEC, while freshman forward Hannah Sullivan rounded out the game with one at the 71-minute mark.
Sullivan, who also became the first freshman to both score a goal and record an assist in the opening game since All-American Leah Greene in 2014, felt electric after scoring her first collegiate goal.
“It was pretty exciting,” Sullivan said. “After scoring, everyone was cheering and my teammates were cheering, so I felt proud that I could help the team.”
In the second game, multiple team members did the scoring. Junior forward Domenica Piccoli started off the game with a goal in the eighth minute before sophomore forward Miranda Ozimek, senior midfielder Ashley Byrne and sophomore forward Julia Ophals all made their mark on the scoreboard throughout the second half.
Ozimek just joined the team this year, but she already feels comfortable with her new teammates.
“The girls are so, so nice,” Ozimek said. “Everyone really helps each other out, we all motivate each other to work harder at practice. All the girls are super friendly and we all get along.”
Despite all the good omens for the rest of the season, there are areas of improvement the team will keep in mind.
While the team only lost two graduating seniors at the end of last season—Greene and Audrey Reid—the two both earned All-American honors. Head coach Nate Wiley underscored the consequences of their absence.
“We only lost two seniors, but they happen to be two of the best players that have probably ever played in this program,” Wiley said. “So that’s left a bigger hole than you would typically get with just two players. One of the nice things is that with the number of returning players, the team dynamic and cohesion is amazing.”
Beyond getting acclimated to the new season, players recognize the areas that could be improved.
Ozimek pointed to the team’s communication, believing that the players could elevate the team by improving their collaboration. Sullivan thinks that staying healthy is the key to a sustainably successful season. Janiszewski emphasized the importance of entering the game with a strong offense.
“Even with us being as successful as we’ve been, there’s always things any team could work on. No team is perfect,” Janiszewski said. “A big thing I would say we need to work on is to start at high intensity and high energy as soon as that whistle blows. We’re a very second half team. We just need to start off with higher energy right off the bat and that’ll affect how the game ends up.”
Wiley similarly highlighted the importance of a stronger offense going forward.
“We’ve been a program that has always been solid defensively, but the players’ ability to work together and understand what they’re doing in the attacking part of the field is something that takes a little bit more time to learn and get accustomed to. That’s definitely an area where we need to and will see improvements,” Wiley said. “We know that we’ve got a target on our back [after winning SUNYACs]. Everyone’s looking to have their best game against us, so that means we have to have our best game every time we step out on the field.”