There are three athletes the Northwestern women’s soccer team (7-8-1, 3-6-1 Big Ten) can count on to play every minute of every game.
After this weekend’s matches, the Wildcats bid farewell to these three seniors, Molly Greene, Aileen Guiney, and Kristen Pearce.
Perhaps the most balanced senior class ever to come through the NU women’s soccer program, Greene is the defensive leader of the team, with Guiney anchoring the midfield and Pearce generating offense as a forward.
“Having one at every position on the field and playing the whole game, we’re definitely going to miss them,” freshman midfielder Shannon Schneeman said. “Aileen controls everything in the middle and is a very talented player. Pearce, up top, she’s really strong and scores goals for us. Greene in the back, she’s just amazing. She’s definitely going to be missed next year.”
Guiney currently leads the Cats in offensive production with 10 points, followed closely behind by Pearce’s eight points. But, according to coach Jenny Haigh, the seniors bring an excitement to the Cats that only upperclassmen carry.
“The seniors always bring that intangible quality of urgency to a team a little bit more than the underclassmen,” Haigh said. “They’re a very strong class because of what they’ve accomplished soccer-wise, because of their leadership abilities, and because all three of them are 90-minute players for us. They’re tremendous.”
With one senior at every position, the Cats have been able to generate noticeable performances on both sides of the field. While Greene orchestrated four shutouts and a 6-1 midseason streak using strong defensive stances, Guiney led the team to a midfield-dominating victory over then-No. 14 Purdue (11-3-3, 6-2-2), and Pearce stepped up whenever offensive production needed a boost.
“I think it’s been super-beneficial for us, in terms of having one defender, having one midfielder, having one forward,” Pearce said. “I think it’s a good way just to get a grasp on every position on the field. It keeps everyone in sync and on the same page.”
Haigh feels that next year the team will be able to cope with the loss of three leading starters.
“There are personalities in every class that will step up and will fill (the seniors’) shoes when they’re gone,” Haigh said. “Class-wise, I think there are a lot of the same personality characteristics in our freshman class. But, there are definitely emerging leaders in our sophomore and junior classes that will develop and take a larger responsibility and leadership role before those freshmen.”
With road games in Milwaukee against Marquette (10-7-1) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (8-8-1), both the upperclassmen and underclassmen have something to prove this weekend.
NU will attempt to grab its first winning season in Haigh’s three-year stint with the team. Haigh said last Friday’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of then-No. 15 Illinois (12-3-2, 7-1-2) will not be a factor.
“We knew going into the game that we had to win, so we were going to play risky, and we did,” Haigh said. “We just know that we have the opportunity to finish our regular season games on a really positive note against two strong, regional opponents.”
