Holy Cross took home its second conference win for the Turnpike Trophy at Boston University on Wednesday Oct. 11 and fell to Loyola (Md.) on the road in a 3-0 loss. In the BU game junior Ashley Blaka drew a free kick for the Crusaders just outside the box which Soltesz stepped forward to take. The junior sent a beatiful ball into the box and it just grazed of a BU defender to go past the keeper for her first career goal. The Crusaders mantained their 1-0 lead over the Terriers until the final whistle. Soltesz was credited with the game winner and Holy Cross eanred a conference win and its first victory over BU since 2019.
“Graham talked to us in the locker room after the Loyola game and you know, we take it, we own it. Not every game is going to be perfect. So I think we absorb it, we look at some film, see where we went wrong, and then at one point we have to just let it go, focus on the next game, get a good week of practice in," said Soltesz. “In the BU game, it felt awesome to get my first goal, but I couldn't have done it without all my teammates. Ash drew the foul and that played a huge role in it. Graham asked me to step up and take the kick. So I did what he asked, tried to get it near the back post and it grazed the head of a BU player and went in. So felt awesome to do that. And then just to maintain the lead throughout the whole game was huge.We had a few huge defensive stops. Emily [Bubonovich] had a really good save off the line. We had some blocked shots, just imposing our will again defensively helped us to win that game.”
This year Coach Graham has played around with different formations that the squad has been able to try out. This has allowed for players like Soltesz to get opportunties to score which she hasn't had in the past. Although this team is known for its strong defense, Coach Graham has been taking some risks and sending defenders up top at times to get more numbers in the box for better chances to score.
“I think it's a good thing to see different looks and try different things because the same formation isn't going to work every single game. So the different looks and the ability we have to put different people up top, trust in ourselves defensively, if we need to use a three back, that we'll get the goal is huge. Cerys [Balmer] in particular is a huge threat up top. Obviously such an amazing defender too, but she is the leading scorer on our team. I's huge that she's able to step up and get those goals for us when we need them most,” Soltesz said. “I never saw myself scoring or assisting any goals. When I think of a defender, I think just stopping goals essentially. But I really enjoy it because regardless if we need three or four defenders in the back, we are able to take the risk of sending some of our defenders forward. It shows a lot of improvement from the last couple years because we're able to still defend with different players or less players and be able to take risks and send more people forward. So it's been awesome being able to do that. I love to get forward and I love to assist or now even score a goal. It's an awesome feeling.”
With the addition of 12 freshman and one transfer to the roster this season, Soltesz and the upperclassman have been tasked with leading this group and creating a positive environment. This plays into the ever growing team culture that the women's soccer team has been adjusting since the arrival of coach Graham. Soltesz is a leader for her teammates and does this both on and off the field.
“I definitely lead by example and I'm also someone who's vocal. I'm not afraid to be vocal either. I think that I lead by example by the way I carry myself and I'm known to work very hard. So by doing that it has helped the freshmen to know what we need to do, know what they need to do to be able to get onto the field. It's going to take a lot of hard work off the field and when no one's watching and I explained that to them, telling them that I didn't play a lot freshman year. All you have to do is work really hard, get your fitness up, get on the ball as much as you can and you will see the field,” Soltesz said. "I'm vocal in the fact that I'll call people out and if I need to have a tough conversation I will. Even if the little things aren't going right or something's happening in the locker room, I will step in to help to keep our culture where it needs to be. Even though I'm not a captain, people consider me a leader because of the fact that I'm not afraid to have those tough conversations because we wanna create a psychologically safe environment and if we don't have that, we're not gonna be able to win. We're not gonna have any chance of winning Patriot League Championships. So I think that's a very important aspect of it."
Coach Graham has been known for his popular sayings that have been a huge hit with his players. Soltesz is no exception and has taken to his saying “Win your individual battle”. This Grahamism has resonated with the defender because it helps remind her of what she is able to control and how if she does this it can make a huge impact on the game.
“My favorite is definitely ‘win your individual battle’. Graham, Ricky, Chris and Kat always say that if we as a team can win six to seven of our individual battles, we will win the game. So I think it's just become something that's very controllable for me. Every game and every practice, I strive to win my individual battle by doing everything I can to impose my will, not get beat on the dribble, not let a player turn block shots, things of that nature,” Soltesz said. "That's the one thing as an individual that I can do to help the team win and be successful. I take that very seriously and I pride myself in being hard to beat in making it as difficult as possible for the forward on the opposing team. I think that little phrase helps me to get through every game because as long as I do that, I've done my job."
