The Allegheny College Women’s Soccer team has grown as a team and as friends this semester.

Through the work of the captains and the large amount of underclassmen players, the team has become closer which in turn has helped boost its performance.

“We were more together as a team than in the years past,” Bryanna Urso, ’21, said. “We haven’t been together as a unit in the past, but this year we bonded really well. We came together and worked really hard as a team on and off of the field.”

Urso said the captains wanted everyone to be close this year. They did team activities at houses or got team lunches and dinners, and she pointed out how most of the team remains friends in the offseason.

“We thought if we were close then we would have better results on the field, which we did see,” Urso said.

Of the 21 women on the team, only five are upperclassmen. These numbers have also allowed them to bond since they are of similar ages.

“It was nice because the majority of people are either my age or just one year older,” first-year Riley Sawyer, ’22, said. “But it also means that competing for spots is a lot harder.”

Surprisingly, the lack of upperclassmen has brought more competition for starting spots, since almost all of the women are of similar ages and skill levels.

“It’s much more competitive because we’re all pretty much the same age,” Sawyer said. “If you had seniors starting you’re like ‘okay I’m not going to play’ but when a lot of them are sophomores or first-years there’s definitely a lot of battling that goes on.”

That competition does not get in the way of their friendships.

“Basically all of my friends here so far are either on the men’s team or the women’s team and everyone is just really cool and really nice,” Sawyer said.

Urso says she holds these bonding experiences in a special place in her heart.

“My favorite part is just being with the girls and creating such a strong bond with everyone and being able to have so many friendships on the team,” Urso said.