Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Five Questions With … WOMEN'S SOCCER HEAD COACH THERESA ROMAGNOLO Theresa Romagnolo is entering her second season as head coach at Notre Dame, arriving in March 2014 after a successful three-year stint at Dartmouth. The Irish were ranked No. 11 nationally entering the NCAA Championship, which began with a first-round matchup against Oakland Nov. 13. BGI: How did you arrive at Notre Dame last season? Romagnolo: "It was a great opportunity. There's no place like Notre Dame that has the level of excellence of academics and athlet- ics; it was really a no-brainer when the opportunity presented itself." BGI: What is your team's mentality like entering this postseason? Romagnolo: "We definitely had a lot of experience returning from last year's team that had a good amount of success, but they're always going to want more, and they've pushed the envelope to be better. "It's a great group to work with; they're incredibly motivated and love playing with each other. We'll give it everything we got and see where it takes us." BGI: All-ACC selections and seniors Cari Roccaro and Katie Naughton anchor your defense — how much have they meant to your program? Romagnolo: "They're two fantastic players — I think we're talking about two of the elite center backs in the country. Cari's played multiple positions, and Katie's been a staple on the back line. "But the experience they bring playing on their national teams growing up as youth, they know what it takes and they've held everyone to the highest standard." BGI: And those two seniors aren't the only ones that helped this team excel this season. Romagnolo: "Right. We've got five starting that bring a fantastic standard for the team. Anna Marie Gilbertson has really stepped up her senior year; it's exciting to see her confidence. "Glory Williams missed a couple games due to injuries, but she's really our link in there at midfield. Brittany Von Rueden has started every game this year — it's just a great group." BGI: When those seniors inevitably depart, who are the next future leaders of the program? Romagnolo: "A great thing about the program like Notre Dame, you're always going to have talented players coming in. So it's up to that next group to step into a leadership role. We have a tremendous group of sophomores who really stepped up this year — Sabrina Flores and Sandra Yu started every game in the center-midfield, several others have been big contributors. "The future is really exciting, and always is at a school like Notre Dame, where we bring in great play- ers every year." — Jordan Wells ROMAGNOLO