The Bearcats woman’s soccer team is set to kick off their season tomorrow night, in the annual Riverboat Rivalry matchup that features rival Northern Kentucky where kickoff is set for 7 pm at Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats are coming off a season where they finished 7-7-3 where they were led by Vanessa DiNardo and Ashley Barron. The Bearcats are coming off a season where they had scored the most goals and faced the least number of shots over Neil Stafford’s 10-year career at Cincinnati.
We talked to head coach Neil Stafford on what it’s like to have two key players like Barron and DiNardo returning for the 2022 season, as both were named to the AAC Preseason all conference team.
“I think from an example, we will have freshman that will be making an impact this year, when you have players like Vanessa DiNardo, who last year was just one goal shy of the Golden Boot within the conference, those freshman look up to those type of players who lead by example, Vanessa is just continuing to get better year by year, I know that she wants to have a career after Cincinnati to continue playing. I think it’s always good for these younger players to have those older players to look up too on and off the field, and within the community as well.”
Barron, is coming off back-to-back seasons, where she was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and 2021, The first Bearcat do achieve that honor. Barron, was also named the AAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week. Barron, is coming off her 3rd straight season, earning 1st team All-Conference honors, and also was named to the Mac Hermann watch list, which is given annually to the top player in the country. While Vanessa DiNardo is coming off a season where she finished with nine goals, which was good for second in the AAC. DiNardo, elected to come back as a graduate student after a strong 2021 campaign where she earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors, and will look to help lead the Bearcats soccer program on the offensive side of the ball.
Barron, and DiNardo both gained high praise from head coach Neil Stafford ahead of the 2022 season.
“Ashley is arguably one of the best defenders I have coached here at Cincinnati. That says a lot when you talk about Vanessa Giles where she is at today, and what she has accomplished. Ashley, is a high character young woman, she’s intense, a competitor, she engraves the standard within the program, even academically, she’s defender of the year, but she is also a full book student, and that speaks to who she is on and off the field. She leads by example, I think kids look up to her, I have always said if my daughter was half the woman Ashley is, I’d be a proud dad,” said head coach Neil Stafford.
The Bearcats will kick off the season tomorrow night versus NKU in the Riverboat Rivalry at Gettler Stadium where they will look to knock off the Norse from NKU in their home opener.
