Many things can be said about Binghamton University’s women’s soccer team over the past few seasons.
Words like “disappointing” or “unlucky” come to mind when referencing the squad. However, this season, the Bearcats (2-1) are attempting to prove that those words no longer fit, and hope to replace it with the word “champions.”
At the helm of the team is head coach Sarah McClellan. McClellan, who is entering her third year with the Bearcats, was with the team for two years serving as their top assistant coach before being promoted to head coach this past February. She ensures that all of her student-athletes maintain a decent course load, all the while giving it their all on the soccer field as well. But if there is one thing that McClellan is known for, and something that she seems to take great pride in, it is her ability to recruit top-notch talent from both surrounding areas and right here at Binghamton University.
After her promotion, McClellan made it a point to continue her excellent recruiting practices and brought in a very respectable class of incoming players, many of whom hail from the surrounding areas of New York.
Looking at both high school and junior college players, McClellan assembled a core group of young talent to come in, make an impact and gel with the remaining veteran Bearcats players. Among them are former National Junior College Athletics Association Player of Year Emily Dixon of Windsor, N.Y., who was a prolific scorer at Broome Community College (85 points in two seasons), and backfielder Taylor Kucharski, who earned all-state honors for her Maine-Endwell team last season.
McClellan made a bit of a splash last week when she announced that the team would hold open tryouts for any women interested in trying out for the squad. McClellan was also in charge of organizing open tryouts during her two years as an assistant coach at Drury University.
Tryouts are not intended to replenish a team decimated by injuries, though this season, that could certainly be the case. Its intent is to find even one player that can step out onto the field and prove herself worthy of wearing that Bearcats jersey.
“It’s a success if we pick up one player,” said McClellan.
And just to be clear, making the team is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. “There is not a lot of people that can keep up with the speed of play,” McClellan said. “If they can do that, they have a shot.”
McClellan and her talented squad will head to Worchester, Mass., this weekend for a game against Holy Cross. The Crusaders (0-3) are coming off a 3-0 loss to Providence yesterday. Junior goalie Jessica Stone made seven saves in the contest, and now has 17 saves on the season. Holy Cross is a much tougher team than their record would indicate, and one that the Bearcats are not taking lightly. “It won’t be an easy game,” said McClellan. “The first goal will probably win the game and it will be a very close game.”