Across the three opening games so far this season for Rowan women’s soccer, the obvious statistic everyone sees are the goals. A 3-0 win over Albright University, 1-0 over Salisbury University, and 4-0 over St. Mary’s College of Maryland is likely the driving force for their No. 17 ranking in the country.

But beyond just the score, you’ll find an interesting statistic that seems to be a common similarity between the three perfect outings: shots.

The Profs have peppered 65 shots at their opponents so far this season. It’s hard to lose games when you’re shooting 21.6 times a game, on average.

But what’s more is the other team’s shot tally—12 across three games.

That’s right, Rowan allowed five shots apiece out of Albright and Salisbury, and just two from St. Mary’s.

Sophomores, Cali Sloan and MaKala Baker, are starting on the defensive side, while senior, Elaina Corson, freshman, Danielle Short, and sophomore, Siena Sowers, add a lot off the bench. 

Questions were certainly there on what the defense would look like coming into the season, as longtime goalkeeper Calista Burke was lost over the offseason. Burke was a consistent, reliable presence in the net and won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) goalkeeper of the year in 2022. 

Now, the page has turned to Leah Edinger, a freshman thrown right into the fire from Philadelphia and Nazareth Academy. Edinger has started all three games. Conveniently for a first-year player thrown right into the mix of college soccer, she’s only faced ten shots so far. The other two were aimed at Gemma Keesler, a senior, who played the second half of Rowan’s 3-0 win at Albright.

Surely, as the season intensifies, teams will fire some more shots. But the defense has clearly proven thus far that they are more than capable of eliminating threats and stopping shots, sometimes from even happening in the first place.

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