A Year Older & Wiser, Experienced Pirates Ready to Attack in 2016

By Dennis Chambers, PSN Correspondent

A year older and a year wiser, student-athletes on the women's soccer team are back on the pitch and ready to make an impact under third-year head coach Rick Stainton.

The team endured a difficult 2015 season, when the Pirates saw a heavy infusion of youth and inexperience with a large freshman class competing in a tough BIG EAST conference. But one year through the trials and tribulations of a college season has Stainton looking forward to seeing his now-sophomore group, which is 11 deep, take a step in the right direction, and bring success to the field for Seton Hall.

"As a collective when we look at the big picture, every player has grown and advanced in many aspects of their own game," Stainton said. "We had a large freshman group last year, and many of them contributed. As we expressed to them, they're another year wiser and a lot of them put some good work in to develop their game that have made immediate impacts thus far."

One of the biggest problems last season was converting chances and staying on the attack for the Pirates, who open the regular season Friday night at Saint Joseph's and then take on Army West Point Monday night. Early returns in practice have shown the man in charge that his team looks ready to turn the corner on that front.

"We obviously didn't generate much of an attack of our own and though we created some opportunities, we really didn't execute," Stainton said about his team last season. "Moving forward to this year, the early signs have shown we certainly have improved in that area. We hope to carry that along throughout the season."

Heading in to this season with a heavy contingent of freshman and sophomores on the roster, Stainton switched out of conventional wisdom when he tabbed three captains to lead the Pirates. Seniors Sarah Fiorino and Frankie Maier and junior Katie Landes will take over the captain duties held last season former seniors D'Yonna Riley and Emily Hansinger, who graduated this past May.

With three different captains leading the Pirates, each with her own personal skillset, Stainton believes this new combination is the best bet to see his team succeed.

"It's the first time in my career that we've gone with three captains," Stainton said. "When we sat back as a staff and really evaluated the needs, and even the wants, of the program, we found that there were three who could really balance us out fairly well."

The idea behind naming three captains as opposed to the general use of one or two Stainton believes is the versatility each teammate brings to the table in terms of their leadership.

"You have Frankie Maier, who is the workhorse during training sessions, someone who a lot of players try to emulate. She's kind of like the field general," Stainton said when breaking down each of his captains. "You got Sarah Fiorino, who could translate among all the different classes; she's kind of that liaison, that link. Then you have our junior, Katie Landes - she's more of the organizer, the detail-oriented one. They each offer a certain strength. They all work with each other extremely well. They all balance each other out in regards to roles and responsibilities. Knock on wood, but thus far it's really been a good connection."

While Stainton is excited about the returners, which also includes 2015 starters Emily Rimdzius, Cathy Chukuka and Andrea Palermo, he has also added a valuable piece in Southeastern Louisiana transfer Ana Zadro. The junior midfielder brings NCAA Tournament experience to a team looking to build its success in that direction. Over her two years with the Lions, Zadro netted five goals and dished out eight assists. In two friendly matches last week, 3-0 wins over both Lafayette and Wagner, she scored a goal in each contest. Her addition lends a hand to an attacking problem the Pirates faced a year ago.

"Ana's come here and really made an impact from the start," Stainton said. "She's super crafty and creative in the attack. She takes chances and makes sacrifices that maybe we haven't done in the past. Those half chances can unlock some other players around her and give us good opportunities to look at the goal. Defensively, teams are going to have to pay attention to her, and as they pay attention to her, we're going to have to sort and figure out that we're going to have others who are going to be open and available."

As Stainton and the Pirates get ready to embark on a new season that begins with two road matches in four days, he feels his team has a bright future, and with his tri-captains and his young talent gaining valuable experience each day, that bright future may soon be a bright present.

"We're very optimistic; we know every single game on our schedule is going to be a competitive match, and I think we will fair well in a good amount of them. What we have today that may be different than in our first two years is the quality talent we now possess at every single position."

Seton Hall's home opener at Owen T. Carroll Field takes place Monday, Aug. 29 vs. Quinnipiac at 7 p.m.