The last time Marist women’s soccer won more than five conference games in a season, sophomore winger Ella Bryan wasn’t even a teenager.
Now, after ranking second on the team with 11 points as a freshman when the team won five conference games for the first time since 2019, Bryan is once again a key piece for a Marist team that has reached the six win mark for the first time since 2018.
Growing up in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Bryan’s childhood included being thrown into all kinds of sports by her parents. On top of soccer, she also played lacrosse and basketball; soccer, though, was her clear favorite.
“As soon as I started playing soccer, I immediately fell in love with it, and I just never turned back,” said Bryan.
Many athletes from Bryan’s hometown played soccer at both the club and school level. Those other sports simply served as a catalyst leading her towards becoming a better soccer athlete.
Bryan’s early soccer career was glamorous. She earned many accolades before attending Marist including four All-Central League selections, four All-Delaware County selections and two Offensive MVPs. She also helped lead Garnet Valley High School to a 2024 Central League Championship.
“The girls I played with at club I played with for a while and we had a bunch of girls go to great schools,” said Bryan. “Just being able to play with them, I really was able to develop off them.”
Bryan played in the esteemed Elite Clubs National League for her club, Penn Fusion. She also played in the Jefferson Cup, a tournament which brings in top clubs in the nation to compete. There, she played alongside teammates that she credits as role models, such as Nina Cantor, a forward who ended up going to Princeton.
Bryan started her college recruitment process in her junior year by looking for the perfect blend of athletics and academics. She had some visits lined up, but Marist made its impact on her instantly.
“As soon as I stepped on campus, I immediately loved the coaching staff. I met the girls, I loved the team,” said Bryan.
Bryan committed to Marist, but not because of a guaranteed amount of playing time. She was joining what was shaping up to be a young team, with seven freshmen and 11 sophomores all pushing the envelope for playing time.
The playing opportunity presented itself as the season came closer. Bryan ended up starting all 19 games during her freshman season, mainly playing left wing, a perfect fit for a left-footed player. She made the most of those 19 starts, scoring three times, including a pair against New Haven.
Bryan excels at one-on-one attacking ability. Last season, 15 of her 30 shots were on goal — this season, despite having only two goals thus far, she already has 18 shots on goal, emphasizing her ability to create scoring chances. This, along with her creativity on the ball and ability to work with both feet, contributed to her impressive debut season.
Her approach for a productive freshman season was simple — be the best version of herself for the team. While Marist clicked for her early, there was natural adjustment moving to college. Since soccer is a fall sport, she plunged straight into soccer season upon arrival.
Getting used to a new home while simultaneously competing at the Division I level is no simple feat, but there was one benefit: she had talented older teammates who went through the same things she did.
“In the beginning of the year, I used to get frustrated or in my head after making a mistake, and they taught me that’s inevitable and that’s going to happen, and you just have to forget about it and focus on the next play,” Bryan said.
These seniors, like midfielders Julia Loncar and Olivia Lindsay and goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti, helped her cultivate the mindset necessary to compete at the collegiate level.
That adjustment is particularly crucial for games in the Metro Conference, which often features close, highly contested matchups. Obviously, the goal is to win a Metro Championship, but it isn’t that simple. While the group was tight-knit last year and improved upon other recent seasons, they still had things to work on.
“We’ve talked a lot about being a possession-oriented team, and I think that’s something we’ve kind of struggled with in the past and then also on the offensive side, being creative, being able to put ourselves in positions to score goals,” said Bryan.
Bryan herself aims to be versatile, hoping to fill whatever role the coaches ask of her. Working with a trainer for almost a decade has helped her get closer to her goals, as well as keeping up with the team’s offseason strength and conditioning packet.
“She’s a year more confident, just a year stronger [after] getting in the weight room over the spring [and] just provides a little bit more experience,” said Marist head coach Nicole Pacapelli Ciano. “[She can be] more dangerous going forward.”
Beyond her on-field goals, she also aims to be even more involved in the locker room. With eight freshmen on the team, it is not only up to the upperclassmen to serve as leaders.
“It doesn’t matter what your class is or if you’re technically an underclassman or not,” said Bryan. “You have to be able to be that role model for even the freshmen coming in now.”
The program has had its struggles recent memory, but Bryan hopes the mentality of being ever-present will continue the team’s upward trajectory. After an improved season last year resulted in a first round exit in the playoffs, the Red Foxes find themselves with a chance for more.
With the program aiming to contend for a title and reach places it hasn’t since well before her or any of her teammates arrived, Bryan’s performance and continued improvement are crucial.
Edited by Ryan Eichem and Max Rosen
Graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo from Marist Athletics
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