The middle of head coach Bruce Erickson’s 4-3-3 lineup is probably the most solidified position for the young 2013 version of the Creighton Bluejays women’s soccer squad. With unproven pieces up front, in the back four, and especially in goal, the midfielders may be the group to pace things during the early part of the season while the other areas adjust to what the college game has to offer.
Madelyn Buckner will anchor the midfielders. Team co-captain Buckner, a junior out of Overland Park, Kan., played center back her first two seasons at Creighton. As part of Erickson’s tinkering process she moves up to defensive midfielder for the upcoming season to address what the coaching staff felt was an area of concern due to inexperience last season.
Madelyn Buckner will anchor the midfield for the 2013 Creighton women’s soccer team (Mike Spomer/WBR)
For her part, Buckner is excited about the transition because it allows her to expand her game and show more of her abilities on the field.
“I’ve played defense pretty much since I’ve started here, and this is really the first time I’ve played in the midfield,” she said. “But I played center back a lot so I kind of know what the defense needs from the midfield. I also like being able to get into the attack more and take shots, so that’s something I can bring to our team, too.”
Her lone goal of the preseason would have taken out a window at the Rasmussen Center if it weren’t for that pesky net.
“Yeah, the play just set me up perfectly right on top of the box. I love taking shots and scoring goals so it was a perfect opportunity.”
Playing the defensive midfield position along with Buckner will be juniors Stephanie Anasi and Angela Benson. Anasi is returning to the midfield after a promising transition into that spot last season. Her speed and footwork was one of the positive takeaways out of the position in an otherwise difficult season for the team.
“In the fall, Steph was brand new to playing center mid,” said Erickson. “Through trial by fire she ended up doing pretty well. [Angela] was sick and little bit weak with where her body was due to some stomach issues. She’s a completely different player now.”
Erickson will rely on the trio of Buckner, Anasi, and Benson to make key contributions due to their fitness level and work ethic.
In the attacking midfield roles, Erickson plans to use a lot of players you may have read about in the 2013 preview for forwards, including sophomores Alyssa Jara, Alissa Kohmetscher, and Kirstyn Corder, who actually scored both of her goals this preseason out of the attacking midfield position.
Depending on the strategy we may even see the team’s best attacker, Lauren Cingoranelli, moving back on occasion. The versatility of those players is something Erickson plans to utilize throughout the season.
“The beauty with our attacking midfield player and our three forwards is that we like them to play in different spots, so it won’t be uncommon to see Lauren Cingoranelli playing attacking mid for a bit and Jara out wide on the left. Our midfield has lots of options, which is a good thing. A lot of those options tend to be players that can play forward as well.”
Two more names to keep an eye on for playing time in the middle are freshmen Lauren Sullivan and Darby Hugunin.
The midfield is one part of the pitch that the CU coaching staff hopes won’t be an area of concern any longer, thanks to a mixture of talent, versatility, and experience.