Women’s 5v5 team welcomes 10 new debutants and new coach.
News
By Fausto Perez / News Contributor
JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY — JCU’s Women’s 5v5 debutant soccer team won their first match of the season as the first and only team in women’s football history at JCU to have an all-player debut, a new coach, and a won match on the night of Oct. 14.
Courtesy of Gladiators.
The team has players from Bolivia, Italy, United States, and Panama.
Coach Boni is from Viterbo, Lazio and has coaching experience from Università degli Studi del Foro Italico located in the north of Rome.
In a 5v5 match, the pitch is the same set-up as a traditional pitch. The difference is the weight of the ball and the size of the goals and the pitch. The 5v5 pitch is a lot smaller than a traditional pitch and requires the player to have quick movements to score a goal.
Chemistry does not seem to be a problem for the players despite building a new team from different backgrounds and nationalities.
“It doesn’t matter for them,” said Coach Boni. “I think they are going to be a real team.”
Speaking in English, Italian and Spanish at practice and in the matches is a dynamic they are getting used to.
“It’s honestly been kind of fun,” said team player Maia Lemov. “It’s been tricky at times because we don’t all know what’s going on. A lot of the Italian girls have been really great in including us and helping us out.”
They practice on Mondays and Wednesdays in the Trastevere Stadium, rain or shine. The team meets at 9 p.m. and ends practice at 11 p.m.
According to player Audrey Irvine, having a new team can be challenging, especially when establishing a new team dynamic. She said that a good team spirit is crucial to ensure a smooth season.
Tournaments run throughout the weekend from Thursday to Saturday.
“We worked to give the team a better facility and better materials,” said JCU Athletics Coordinator Alex Ronald Sabelli. “Our coaches have always been Sports Science graduates. This year we took an extra step of finding a very qualified professional such as Coach Beatrice Boni, former coach of a wide range of women’s futsal teams.”
The team also receives support through training in the gym.
To encourage fan support in the Women’s 5v5 soccer matches, Sabelli said the first way is for the players to promote their team firsthand and ask their friends to come to the games. “They’ll realize the quality of the game played,” said Sabelli.
The current roster for the Women’s 5v5 team
For more news from the 5v5 team and JCU sports visit the official JCU’s Athletic Department blog.
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