Losing defenders Ali Rubnitz and Kay Sampson to graduation and having just one defender among the incoming freshmen, coach Stephanie Foster had to decide who she could put into the outfield position with the smallest margin of error and the most pressure.
New assistant coach Katie Shields, fresh from Harvard, had the answer.
“During preseason, (Shields) was watching people with a different perspective – she didn’t know these kids,” Foster said. “We didn’t know who would fill that role for us, and she said one day, ‘Can (senior forward) Sam Greene play center back?’ And (assistant coach) Erin (Ekeberg) and I looked at each other and said, ‘Probably.'”
Leading the Wildcats (4-3-2) backline to three clean sheets and no losses by more than one goal, Greene has adapted seamlessly at the back.
“We just threw her back there, and she’s done great,” Foster said.
But with 28 points – 7 goals and 14 assists - after three years, Greene would not have been most people’s defensive solution, not the least her own.
“At first, it was a shock when they told me,” Greene said. “I knew that with some of the personnel that we were bringing in … I wouldn’t necessarily be playing forward…. Center back was a little bit different, but I was expecting a change.”
Greene said her experience playing at the back will help when the coach deploys her up front.
When the Cats were seeking an equalizer against Notre Dame last week, Foster put in sophomore defender Briana Westlund and pushed Greene forward to her natural position.
“I know what it takes to either get a goal or get an assist late in the game,” Greene said. “Especially if our forwards have been attacking the whole game and they’re a bit more tired, (the coaches) can throw me up there, and it can be an X-factor.”
Westlund, Greene’s defensive partner for much of the season, said Greene’s competitiveness and leadership have allowed her to flourish in her newfound role. Junior forward Caroline Dagley, who played with Greene before her position change, said Greene’s sacrifice of her love for scoring goals has enabled her to commit to her new position.
In NU’s win at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 12, Greene set up freshman Kate Allen’s goal to take her career-assists tally to 15, putting her at fourth on the school’s list of all-time assists. That tied her with Foster, a former NU forward.
“It’s awesome,” Foster said of Greene’s achievement. “Sam’s worked so hard in her career to develop and to be competitive and to get better, so anything that she earns is so well-deserved.”
Greene also recorded her first goal of the season in NU’s win over Illinois State on Friday when she whipped a free kick into the penalty area that bounced into the net.
So, does Greene prefer scoring goals or preventing them?
“I like both,” Greene said. “Ultimately, I think I like playing an attacking role because I like taking people on. But center back’s a competitive challenge for me to shut a forward down – not getting a shot off, not (getting) a goal – and I like that part of it, too.”
