Ciatto, Crusaders take on Maine and Bryant for week two of play

Over the last three seasons, Francesca Ciatto has a dominant force for the Holy Cross women’s soccer back line. Ciatto had a standout year as a junior becoming a go to choice for the starting lineup. She played in all 17 matches and started 16 while racking up a total of 1,416 minutes as a junior.

This year, she has been tapped to take on a new role, serving as one of the Crusaders’ team captains along with fellow seniors Cerys Balmer, Sydney Baldwin and Allie Raynor.  

“I  was very honored that my coaches and teammates thought of me as somebody who had the confidence to lead the team,” Ciatto said. 

Team culture is deeply important to the captain and the team. Ciatto is proud of the way the culture has adjusted over the years and has been working hard to maintain the effort put in by every member of the team.

“We use the term ‘sweep the sheds,’ which means every person has a role on this team and no one is bigger than anyone,” said Ciatto. "At the same time, while everyone is viewed as equals, the junior and senior class have stepped up greatly to teach the younger girls the lay of the land and how things work.”

Holy Cross fought hard in the first two matches of the season showing a lot of promise for the season to come. The Crusaders came up short in both games by close margins but demonstrated resilience battling back until the final whistle. Ciatto looks forward to this week's matches against Maine and Bryant and has high expectations for the rest of the 2023 season ahead. 

“I was extremely impressed by the team after the Rutgers game, playing a Big 10 team and going toe to toe with them. They scored two goals off of set pieces that I don't necessarily think were a reflection of how hard we played during that game. So I was really proud of that game and proud of the fight and the work ethic,“ said Ciatto. “After Northeastern, I was a little bit disappointed just because I think that we gave them a little too much respect. I don't think we should have lost that game 3-1.”

The Crusaders head to Orono, Maine this Thursday to take on the Bears (7 p.m.), followed by a home face off versus Bryant on Sunday (1 p.m.). Ciatto and the team have been making adjustments in practice to prepare themselves for the matches ahead against two strong teams.

"Going into Maine and Bryant, I know that we now have a fire under us. We're just looking to get two positive results going into the weekend,” said Ciatto. “I think everybody is kind of on that same page and ready to look forward to the future. ”  

Ciatto has high expectations for the season moving forward and hopes the new additons to the team as well as a new style of play will help lead to strong results.

“The expectation is always to make the playoffs and win the league championship. I think one of the biggest improvements that we've made is bringing in more competition within the program. We bought in 13 new girls, 12 freshmen and one transfer, which has made us push one another during practice in the hopes that it translates to the game," said Ciatto. “This year everyone really knows the expectations and we're finally adapting to the way that Coach Graham wants us to play.”

A history major, Ciatto plans to either pursue a master's degree in finance or move to New York City and start her career after graduating from Holy Cross.

'SADER SHORTS

• The Crusaders stand 8-10-0 against Maine all-time.
• Holy Cross leads 7-5-1 all-time against Bryant.

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