PISCATAWAY, N.J. – As the Rutgers women’s soccer team continues to post zeros on the defensive end, two newcomers part of the stingy unit have zero years of experience on the Scarlet Knights backline before this season.
Alongside senior captain and reigning National Player of the Week Emily Mason and senior captain Kassidy Banks, and consistent with a team-wide defensive mentality, freshman Claire Hammill and sophomore Patricia Tsokos have proven to be an immovable force.
A solid and compact defense has shined through each game. As of Sept. 26, Rutgers ranks second in the NCAA with a 0.22 goals-against average and with a shutout percentage of .778, good for fourth in the country. Both marks rank on top of the new 18-team Big Ten Conference.
With new members joining the team, nerves can be a negative weight on performance, yet the younger defensive members speak nothing but positivity, comfort, and confidence within their team. The environment has created an easy transition for its newer members while allowing them to develop stronger connections with one another.
Hammill, a freshman, spoke of her experiences on being new to the team while also sharing some secrets on how they maintain such a powerful defensive line. It seems that the key for this team is all through the collaboration and trust of each other as teammates.
“We always stress to defend and help the person next to us. We know if we get beat that there is always someone else there, and someone will cover us. It’s not just 1-on-1 defending,” Hammill said.
Tsokos, a sophomore and recent transfer student has shown to fit into the team very well. With full-back being a new position for her, she expressed her gratitude to the helpfulness of her fellow teammates. The older defensive members have been a great support as well as very reliable.
Tsokos sheds light on the bigger picture, showing that the answer to establishing a strong defensive line comes from working for each other and as a unit.
“Everyone wants to succeed for the person next to them, it’s not about us as individuals, it’s about us as a team,” Tsokos said. “Emily Mason has been communicating with me every step of the way. We have all been pushing ourselves and each other,”
With Hammill and Tsokos being fairly new to the team, it is clear to see that they have adjusted well. As the shutout streak…
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