What a difference a year makes.
One year ago, Arianna Criscione was a senior at St. Lucy’s
Priory High School in Glendora, Calif., a high school goalkeeper
with high school concerns.
Now Criscione is a college goalkeeper with college concerns
““ like leading the No. 3 UCLA women’s soccer team to a
Pac-10 title.
As a freshman, Criscione has assumed the role of starting
goalkeeper because of a season-ending knee injury suffered by
junior Sarah Lombardo. Criscione had battled Lombardo for the
starting spot all season.
“I feel really bad that Sarah hurt her knee, and
it’s not the way I wanted to get the starting
position,” Criscione said. “But now that she did go
down, I’m just going to have to step up, get in there, and
get us the wins necessary for a Pac-10 championship.”
Perhaps most telling of Criscione’s desire to rise to the
occasion is her performance in Sunday’s 1-0 victory against
California.
After starting in wins against Washington State and Washington
the week before, Criscione found herself on the bench when the
Bruins faced Stanford and Cal. But she entered Sunday’s game
in the 77th minute with the Bruins holding a 1-0 lead as Lombardo
limped off the field.
The exhausted Bruin defense allowed a series of shots on goal
and was generally outplayed in the final 13 minutes, but Criscione
held the Bears scoreless and kept the Bruins undefeated in Pac-10
play.
“Arianna did a fantastic job,” coach Jill Ellis
said. “She made a couple of really big saves. In the back of
my mind I was very thankful that we’d gotten her some playing
time in big games.”
Criscione has posted a 4-0 record in the net for the Bruins, and
she has already registered 526 minutes played. She played all 90
minutes in a 2-1 win over No. 9 Duke, coming up with three saves in
that match.
“I’ve played in a couple games before this, so
it’s not as scary as it would be if I had never started or
never played in a full game,” Criscione said. “Now I
just have to play.”
The rest of the team will also have to play, knowing that its
starting goalkeeper from a year ago will not be back in the net
this season. However, that fact doesn’t diminish the
team’s confidence in relatively inexperienced Criscione.
“We’re no less confident with Arianna in
goal,” midfielder Stacy Lindstrom said. “Coach Ellis
did a great job recruiting her. To come in as a freshman and do as
well as she’s done is great.”
“There’s no question the team feels
comfortable,” Ellis added. “She’s been the
starter at times, and we haven’t lost a game with her in net.
Everybody feels real good with her.”
Criscione, who has been playing goalkeeper since she was 10, has
allowed five goals this season. With 11 saves, she has posted a
.688 save percentage, letting in only 0.86 goals per 90
minutes.
But, still only a freshman, Criscione has a lot to learn about
playing goal at the collegiate level.
“She’s raw,” Ellis said. “She needs to
work on her feet and her kicking game needs to be consistent, but
she’s a great physical presence.”
More importantly, Criscione possesses innate abilities that you
can’t teach.
“She’s eager and motivated,” Ellis said.
“She’s confident. She knows her fitness level and her
kicking aren’t where they need to be, so she does extra.
She’s our type of player.”