Calista Burke, Manon Bada, Meg Kryjer, Olivia Falicki, Jillian Jankowski, Mackenzie Clement, Aine Delle Grotti, Simone Pacetti, and Frankie Ryan were the nine seniors who enjoyed a bittersweet night at Rowan University.

It was senior night for the Rowan women’s soccer team, and the team had a pregame ceremony honoring all of them. Not only did they get to celebrate their seniors, but they also got to celebrate a 2-0 win over the Stockton Ospreys.

Each senior walked up with a family member, passing their teammates, who were lined up next to each other. At the end of the line, the seniors received a portrait of themselves and got to take a picture with their family.

“It definitely meant a lot,” Burke said. “I have been through three other senior nights where I was looking up to the other seniors. It was really nice to have my family here to support me. There were a lot of emotions, and I tried to keep it together because I had business to take care of afterward.”

It was a day when these seniors could look back at their long careers and reflect on their past with a sport that they have played for so long.

“It was a really bittersweet moment,” Clement said. “It was great to finally celebrate my club days, as well as my college days. Having the people around me who have supported me is so surreal.”

After the pregame ceremony, the action began. It was a tight first half, where physical play kept the game slow. Junior, Olivia Giordano was able to end the 0-0 score with a goal late in the first half.

“We had to get used to how they play,” Leacott said. “They are more man-to-man, and we play a lot of zone. Once we figured that out, we got a good attack. We always knew it would get a little physical. When you are the team that has the better of the possession battle, it gets more physical on our end.”

The game was physical on both sides, with Rowan having 12 fouls throughout the game. The most relevant one was when Burke came out of goal and collided with a player on the Ospreys to prevent a goal that would have tied the game. Burke got a yellow card for her trouble.

“I went to kick the ball long, but I kicked it too low, so the girl got a foot on it,” Burke said. “After that, I said to myself, ‘I have to do anything to stop this ball from going into the net,’ so I put my body in front of the ball, and whatever happens, happens. I am a strong girl, so she is probably going to bounce off me. I am not going to say that I probably threw some arms in there, but you have to do what you gotta do.”

At the end of the day for Burke, the result was the same as many of her games throughout her time at Rowan: another shutout.

“I did not have to do too much with the way my backline was playing,” Burke said. “They have been playing so well the last few games, so let’s keep the shutouts rolling.”

Two players on that backline are Bada and Kryjer, who Burke has grown with throughout her time on the team.

“They are both my roommates, so we are all very close,” Burke said. “We have just created such a close bond. We have great chemistry. I know what they are going to do before they even get the ball, and vice versa. Getting to play with Meg for four years, and Manon for three, has meant so much to me.”

The offense would strike one more time for the Profs. This time, scoring for the Profs was Clement. Sara Wiedeman crossed a ball over to Clement, setting up an easy goal.

“It was a perfect buildup,” Clement said. “Sara [Wiedeman] set me up perfectly for that one. I really could not mess that one up, so I give her the credit. Glad I got to get that in tonight.”

With three New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games left, the team will look to continue their undefeated season.

“All of them are gonna be physical,” Leacott said. “All the conference games are a different breed.”

With the ending of these seniors’ seasons being uncertain, one thing is certain: the impact they have left on this program.

“I think from day one, they bought in,” Leacott said. “They knew they might not play all the time, but they bought into working hard in training. I think that is when they truly bought into the program. They saw a future—the more I buy in, the more I will play. They made a huge impact. I hate to say this, but they have not lost a lot of games. Coming through that is really hard to sustain. They have worked extremely hard to get where they are at.”

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