Bubonovich, Crusaders take on Colgate for last regular season game of the year, week 11

Over the last two seasons, junior defender Emily Bubonovich has been a crucial member of the Holy Cross women’s soccer backline. In her first two seasons, Bubonovich has played in 29 games with 20 starts for a total of 1514 minutes of action in her career. This season she has stepped up greatly become a core member of the Crusaders defense starting all 15 of games she has played in. She has attempted a total of six shots, two on goal in her career all which have come this season. She has played a career high of 1162 minutes as a defender with only one more games of the regular season left.

The junior committed to Holy Cross in her junior year of high school. Being from Massachusetts Bubonovich had always known about Holy Cross and the strong close-knit community that the school oftered. Knowing that her soccer career would eventually come to an end, she wanted a school that could give her the best education possible to set her up for a great career and future after college. She felt that Holy Cross was the perfect combination of a great education and the ability to continue to playing soccer.

"I started talking to coaches my freshman year of high school. The Holy Cross coach at the time reached out to me after seeing me play and I really liked how she talked about the program and the values of the team. I think that those values have been instilled further with how Graham has transformed our culture," said Bubonovich. “The coach would go to my showcases, I came here for an unofficial visit and then I decided that this was a place I really wanted to go. She agreed that she really wanted me and gave me an offer. So I committed here my junior year. Covid hit two month after I committed and the coach left so we didn't know whether or not our commitments were going to be honored. So it was scary for a little bit just because I didn't know whether or not I was still gonna be able to come here. Since soccer had stopped due to the pandemic we couldn't play, none of us would have any film and coaches couldn't come see us play so the atheltic deparemtn decide to honor my class's commitments. They also needed to find a new replacement for the coach too.”

The junior has had her ups and downs during her first two years but has made the most of all the opportunties she got. Despite seeing two different coaching changes and making through a somewhat isolating first year of college due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she has come out stronger than ever. 

“I've loved my experience here this far. My freshman year was a little bit rocky. We had a coaching change and it was a post-COVID world. But I think Coach Graham has really transformed our program. I've become really good friends with the girls on the team, and obviously Holy Cross is a fantastic school and I think I've excelled both on and off the field,” Bubonovich said. “I think that we've gotten better technically over time time here. In the past year, Graham's always hounded defending, he loves coaching, defending us. So I think we've been really good defensively. But this year, especially with a lot of freshmen and freshman forwards coming in, we've had better attack and better offense. We were able to connect more passes, everyone looks better technically, and we're playing better soccer overall."

Now head coach Ben Graham has made a huge impact on the team in the short time he has been with the program. Bubonovich has seen firsthand the impact coach Graham has made and how it has not only changed the way the team plays but how the players think and feel about the game of soccer. He has also cultivated a new culture that focuses on trust, inclusivity, hard work, and the willingness to get better everyday.

“Something that Coach Graham has done a really great job of is instilling our two fundamental values which are, work hard and compete. It's something we say every time we step on the field. We say, ‘What are we going to do today? Get better. How do we get better? Work hard and compete'. That's something that has really transformed the culture. You go watch any practice, any game, we're always competing. We're working hard and we're happy with ourselves as long as we do that,” said Bubonovich. “Something else that has been a huge focus is inclusivity and making a psychologically safe environment. We don't want people coming in to ever feel that they can't be themselves or feel excluded at any time. Knowing that everyone's voice and presence matters and everyone has a role in the team is really important in our team culture. Every practice, every win is because everyone contributed. Regardless of whether you played or not, you contributed and that matters. I think that helps further create an inclusive environment.”

Holy Cross had a strong start to the week taking on Chicago State for a non-conference match on Tuesday Oct. 17 at home. Junior Alyssa Pettet and freshmen Caroline Marcus and Mary Sommer all scored in the competition for each of their first collegiate goals. Unfortunately the Crusaders took a tough 3-0 loss to Navy on Friday Oct. 20 for their last home game of the season. 

“I think the Navy game was obviously an unfortunate game. We were with them the entire time, even when we were down a player and I think that we still competed, which is good. But I do think that we have to take advantage of the opportunities we have. In the college level, you don't get that many opportunities. And the ones we get, we do need to finish. We had eight shots or something in the first half so finishing those would have obviously helped," said Bubonovich. “To be honest, it was some unfortunate events that occurred and it's unfortunate, but, you have to be like a goldfish, short-term memory. Colgate is a completely different game. And it's one where we've gotta go work, go out there, work hard, compete, and do what we know how to do best."

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 Bubonovich 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 really enjoyed pushing up. The back line all know where we're gonna be. So if like I push up, I know that Cerys [Balmer] is gonna be right behind me or if Cerys goes, I'll hold back for her. Our communication is there and we know each other's movements. I think also that it's nice to get into the attack and contribute to something and sending an extra number forward. So I've really enjoyed it,” Bubonovich said. “It's been a little bit adjustment compared to the past few years with how we've played, where we would sit back, but I really enjoy getting up there. This year, I've been put in the box on corners, which I've always really wanted to do. That's where most of my shots have come from. But the soccer style we play now where we can choose whether or not we go or we can join the attack sometimes is pretty similar to how I played in clubs. It's nice to continue to get better at that. A good example of this was in the Loyola game when I had a shot opportunity. I just found myself up top. The ball had switched the field and I had no one on me at that time, so I didn't need to drop off and they didn't do a good job with tracking me back and I was wide open to take a chance."

With the addition of 12 freshman and one transfer to the roster this season, Bubonovich 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. Bubonovich is a leader for her teammates and does this both on and off the field.

“I think that I definitely lead by example. I feel like I try to do all the right things and hope that other people see what I'm doing and want to do that too. If there's things that I notice that definitely need to be said or that the captains haven't mentioned, I'll definitely add on to it,” Bubonovich said. "On the field, being in the back, we can basically see everything, besides obviously the goalkeeper, so communication is key. Communicating with my left forward or my center mids about what's going on, where they should step, if they should drop, who's open, things that we can do better, I definitely make sure to mention those things. Communication is really important and that's something I strive to do every game. I try to make sure that I'm not only communicating, but I'm over communicating. Off the field with communication, if I see someone who looks a little down at practice, I'll just make note to send a text to 'em later. They don't have to talk about it, but just know that I'm there for them. Our whole team is there for each other."

Coach Graham has been known for his popular sayings that have been a huge hit with his players. Bubonovich is no exception and has taken to his saying “Impose your will”. This Grahamism has resonated with the defender because it helps remind her to be tougher than her opponent and be the person that players hate going up against.

"There's a lot of Grahamisms, but I think ‘impose your will’ means a lot to me. As a defender, if I impose my will, if the attacker doesn't beat me, I've done my job. I always try to make sure that I win my battles. I impose my will on the attacker, on the forward coming at me and make sure that they don't get a cross or a shot off. I make sure they don't beat me one v. one,” Bubonovich said. “I think I've become a grittier player over the past two years. One thing that I've been working on a lot is not just being stronger, but being tougher in my battles and hard to beat one on one. That's something I pride myself on. I've always been a smart, tactical player, so to elevate my game I worked on becoming faster, stronger, and really hard to beat. I want to be someone where when people see me they think, ‘shoot, I have to go against her’. So just being that player who will always do everything they can to win their battles.”

The Crusaders are scheduled to take a trip to Hamilton, N.Y. for their last conference game at Colgate on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. After coming off a tough conference loss to Navy, the Crusaders need the win against Colgate as well as an American and Lafayette tie or loss to clinch the No. 6 seed in the Patriot League Championship tournament.

“I definitely think that some people are nervous for this game, but for myself, I think you just control what you can control. If I go out there and I do my job, everyone else around me does their job, we win our battles, then we've done everything we can," said Bubonovich. "We have to put it all out there. That's the most important part is coming away from the season knowing that I can't do any more than I did during those 90 minutes.”

When the clock is ticking in a game, Bubonovich is both a technically skilled player with a high soccer IQ but she trusts her instincts as well on the field. She is a calming presence and the rock for her teammate to look to on the field where anything can happen. This season she has not only grounded the team but also came up with multiple huge saves that have saved the game for the Crusaders. She will stop at nothing including putting her body on the line to help her teammates and aim for the win.

“I think I play more instinctually. But something I pride myself on is being able to seeing a few passes ahead. I could see a pass being made and think of where the next passes could be, and I position myself where I should be. Looking ahead tactically is really helpful, but also works hand in hand with my instincts. On the field in general, I feel like I'm a very composed player. I don't let my emotions get the best of me. And that's something that I use to steady my teammates. When I see other players struggling, I talk them down and encourage them,” Bubonovich said. "One thing I've noticed is if the ball is being crossed in and the goalkeeper steps out, I just drop a little bit to provide that cover. This happened in the BU game. We were winning one, nothing and I saw the ball go by Julia [Walsh] since she had to come out and it was like the game slowed down. Everything was moving in slow motion and in that moment I knew I was gonna save it. This goes back to the little things like willing to compete. I wanted to save that goal. I wanted to win. I just put my body on the line for the team.”

In her free time away from the field and the classroom, Bubonovich is very active. She does research in her spare time for the biology department where her lab focuses on stem cell proliferation and how it changes with age. She is also a project developer for the Office of Sustainability on campus where she has worked with teammate Olivia Dubin. The junior also enjoys being a Big Sister with the Big Brother Big Sister program. Bubonovich as well as some of her teammates (Dubin, Grace Soltesz, Allie Raynor, Kiara Greco, and Samantha Adams) take time once a week to go meet with their Littles and help them with whatever they may need.

“Two years ago our project was focusing on bringing sustainability to athletics. So we would find volunteer opportunities and connect them with athletes. Athletes could volunteer. Last year we developed a pilot for a carbon offset program where we planted trees at off-campus sites and then would measure the amount of carbon sequestered so eventually the college could implement something like this and work towards being carbon neutral," Bubonovich said. "I am also a big sister through the program, Big Brothers Big Sisters. A few of us on the team go down to Girls Inc once a week to meet with our littles and hang out with them, help them with homework. My little is 12 and amazing. It has been a really cool program to be a part of."

The one piece of advise she would give her freshman year self or any incoming first year would be to do the extra work and it's not that deep.

“First I would say do the extra work. It's what you do when people aren't watching that matters. And going out there when you're not playing, going for runs, working on what you need to work on when the coach and your teammates aren't there is what's really important. They won't see the extra work you're putting in, but they'll see the impact on how you're playing that's what matters. It's being motivated by yourself rather than what other people think of you," Bubonovich said. "Second is it's not that deep. Everything that happens is not that big of a deal. One mistake you make isn't going to change anything. This applies to college too. If you get a bad grade on an exam, that's okay. It's just one exam. It's like a little blip in your entire life. College is only four years, five if you take your fifth year. Just try to make the most of it. ”

A biology and computer science double major, Bubonovich is excited to spend her last two years on The Hill enjoying the time she has left with the teammates and hoping to win a Patriot League Championship. After she graduates, Bubonovich is interested in going into biotech or data analysis.

'SADER SHORTS

• Holy Cross stand 8-30-4 all-time against Colgate dating back o 1984

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