Fordham and Mercer may not be SEC or above quality, but the way the newcomers have looked against them has been very promising. This freshman class has looked really special even with the expected freshman mistakes, and we haven't even seen Giselle Washington or Jaida Thomas who were rated pretty highly. Here's what I saw from newcomers in each area of the field.
Goalkeepers: Out of the two I really like how Romig looked compared to Pogany (who still looked good). I like how Romig has a great vocal presence already and a great physical presence with her height. She seems very in control of herself even for a freshman.
Defense: Boy do I love how much quality we have in our backline. French and Neal are already established as the consistent leaders; but Mackenzie George, Mackenzie Ostrom, and Maria Nelson all had great games this weekend! George and Nelson both did great defending and springing forward for attacks and connecting well with our wingers. Ostrom may not be a newcomer, but it's the first time she had extended minutes and was rock solid both games.
Midfield: With how much we lost in our attack from last season, midfield and forwards were definitely question marks, those questions got some good answers this weekend. Isabella Cook and Sonia Ouchene-Salon both have very high ceilings and can be a very dangerous duo for years to come in the attack. Both are very offensive-minded players who look like they'll be able to work in tight spaces and link passes to fuel our attack. Claudia Dipasupil and Tara Katz off the bench also provided awesome minutes off the bench!
Forwards: BIGGEST question mark and from what I saw it may not be as high-powered as last year, but still pretty good. Vignola, Jordan, and Thompson were all great this weekend (if Thompson can work on her finishing, watch out). Michelle Alozie and Alicia Donley were the main newcomers that I saw really show something. Alozie I can see why she was so successful at Yale; strong with her back towards the defender, good shot, and smart enough to put herself in the right spots to score. Donley is just a straight-up bulldog who is always hunting for her shot and doesn't care who's in her path to do so. To put up 5 shots in about 60 minutes of action as a freshman in your first weekend is impressive.