Brockport women’s soccer goalkeeper Madeline McCrosson was named Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Week Monday for helping to lead the Golden Eagles to two shutout victories over Buffalo State and Russell Sage last week. She made five saves in the 2-0 win over Buffalo State last Wednesday and added four saves in the 1-0 win over Russell Sage on Saturday.
McCrosson had shoulder surgery in May and is happy to be back and playing at a high level.
“It’s really nice to be back out on the field,” McCrosson said. “I don’t think I expected to have recovered as quickly as I did, so to be able to be back and playing and doing so well means a lot.”
McCrosson credits her success to the strong defense she has in front of her and how much depth the team has.
“We have a great lineup defensively,” McCrosson said. “We have a lot of depth coming off our bench and a lot of people that can come in and make a strong impact on the defensive line. I think our success so far has come from having so many people who can step in and get the job done when it needs to get done.”
Head coach Mike Idland has been impressed with what he has seen from McCrosson so far this season.
“Maddy has had a big impact on the team’s solid start,” Idland said. “She’s come up with big saves along the way, but her leadership within the team day-to-day has been even more important.”
The junior has over 100 career saves and boasts an 85 percent career save percentage. Idland credits her strong mentality and personality for the success she has had in her career.
“Maddy is a very talented player, which counts for a lot,” Idland said. “But just as much, I’d say her character and mentality have been behind her success at Brockport. Maddy is a selfless, team-first member of the team. She was patient, coachable and supportive when she first arrived as a freshman still learning the position at the college level. Because she was so humble through that phase, she was ready when the time came for her to step into a bigger role last year.”
This is Brockport’s first season as part of the Empire 8 athletic conference and they are off to a good start, winning their first conference matchup against Russell Sage. McCrosson sees a big difference in the game from the SUNYAC to the Empire 8.
“The SUNYAC was a very hard-hitting conference,” McCrosson said. “It was all about hitting harder than everyone, running faster than everyone. I think the Empire 8 is a little bit more technical. There’s a little bit more soccer going on so it’s exciting to be able to switch and see a different style of college soccer and being able to play in both conferences in our time at Brockport.”
The Golden Eagles are currently 4-0-1 this season and will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they host Keuka College in an Empire 8 conference matchup on Saturday at 2 p.m.
