Alley Ronaldi would rather forget the 2010 season.
Even though the Columbus resident earned a 4.0 grade-point average in the fall, she struggled on the field for the University of Mississippi women”s soccer team.
Ronaldi started the first four games of the year and recorded shutouts against Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State. But a slump soon followed, one that Ronaldi tried to escape but couldn”t.
“It was a rough year,” Ronaldi said. “It was not my best season. It was a season I have learned from and I will continue to learn from.”
Ronaldi is applying those lessons extremely well this season. The 5-foot-6 senior played an integral role last weekend in victories against Texas Tech and Jackson State to earn Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“I”m really excited about this year,” Ronaldi said. “We have lots of talent and great personalities. I think we can be really good. Obviously I am excited with the start and want to continue the momentum into the SEC, and we”re looking for a couple of big wins this weekend.”
Ole Miss (3-0) will try to keep its winning streak going at 4:30 p.m. Friday when it faces Wright State in Auburn, Ala. It will play Duke at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
Ronaldi has started all three games this season. She and Kelly McCormick haven”t allowed a goal this season, a run of 270 minutes, which is the longest scoreless streak to start the season since 2003.
Ronaldi came up huge against Texas Tech, making a save on a breakaway to help preserve the road victory.
“Alley has been very, very solid,” Ole Miss coach Matthew Mott said. “She made a great save at Texas Tech to help us win that game. That”s really how she has been all year. Her positioning has been very good, her kicking game has been good, and she has helped organize the back line.”
Mott said Ronaldi had a great spring season to put her in position to win the starting job. It was the same spot she was in in 2010 before Mott said a slump affected Ronaldi”s confidence and resulted in limited playing time the last part of the season.
Despite the slump, Mott said Ronaldi worked hard to find her rhythm. He said she has used the experience and is now more confident and comfortable leading the defense.
“As a junior she still kind of questioned herself and the decisions she made in goal,” Mott said. “Now she is very confident in her ability. A full year with goalkeeper coach Rob Thompson and training every day has helped her grow that confidence.”
Ronaldi said the departure of coach Steve Holeman before the 2010 season and the graduation losses the team suffered created a “vacuum” that left a leadership void. She said the players had to “figure out who was going to step up the plate and be leaders,” which is what they have done this season. As a result, she, too, feels like a better leader who likes to set the example for her teammates to follow.
“I think the stuff I learned last season has definitely had an impact on my attitude this season and has had an effect on my leadership ability,” Ronaldi said. “I appreciate everything we get as college soccer players. I understand it is a blessing. There is no other way to describe it. I am trying to keep that position and that attitude and show it to the team.”
Mott agrees Ronaldi”s attitude has matured the most from last season. He said she has embraced that mind-set that she will do everything she can to make her senior season the best it can be.
“Naming her captain was another boost to her ego or her mentality,” Mott said. “She just understands we as coaches have a significant amount of trust in her and in her ability. Becoming a senior and a more mature student-athlete has really helped in her game.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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