Photos courtesy of @brettballachino and Ryan Bartholomew
In their all-important 2024 UWS National semifinal match-up against Santa Clarita Blue Heat, FC Buffalo’s women’s team came into Robert Rich Sr. All-High Stadium in search of making history since their establishment in 2021—win the club’s first national championship.
While not viewed too many as the favorites based on Blue Heat’s prestigious status in the UWS, the Wolves accepted the challenge to overthrow the then two-time UWS national champion – an achievement that would’ve been remarkable given the major injuries that nagged Nikki Bartholomew’s squad throughout the short season.
“Some of our biggest challenges involved injuries, with a couple being season-ending injuries or nagging-enough injuries that didn’t allow players to make it back into any games,” Bartholomew said as she detailed not having the Heart and Soul award winner, Danielle Vis, and FCB’s legendary skipper Carissima Cutrona for chunks of the season.
“Some players played through injuries and were not at 100% in some of the games that they played in. Dani Vis has been around since our first season [and] is a veteran here who is a vocal and positive communicator on the pitch. She was probably our most impactful injury, and Carissima was not 100% but kept fighting.”
Despite the hardships, the blue and gold put everything on the line, creating various chances that couldn’t find the back of the net and maintaining a 0-0 scoreline for more than 77 minutes, which could have seen both sides head to a penalty shootout.
A major factor in the Wolves keeping a close hold of the game came from their unsung hero and rising talent: goalkeeper Brigid Mulholland. As proven numerous times throughout this 2024 season, the Fairport goalkeeper has saved her team from going down early in the games.
Against Blue Heat, in the 26th and 69th minutes, she denied breakaways from rising 14-year-old superstar McKenna “Mak” Whitham.
Despite Mulholland’s heroics, including FCB’s other rising right-back Claire DeAngelis and the understated veteran center-back Tess Ford, who were recognized as this year’s best defensive players, Blue Heat broke through late to beat the Wolves and later overcame New England Mutiny in the UWS National Championship final.
Mulholland and Ford were named to All-UWS First Team on Wednesday, further underlining their magnificent contributions to the season.
[ RELATED: SC Blue Heat end FCB title dreams at All-High ]
While Barthomew’s team, who finished the season with a final record of 6-2-1, didn’t reach this year’s goal of getting a championship, the team must look at how much this club has grown in their fourth season in the UWS and how the sport can continue growing in the city of Buffalo.
That growth comes from the 12 new summer signings but, more importantly, retaining most of their key players until the end of the season.
“We come into every season excited, and it’s a breath of fresh air for me,” said Bartholomew, who just finished her fourth season with the club. “Compared to the first three seasons, this roster is our most talented and deepest roster to date. We have college players who return to school early and throughout the season. Having a meaningful deep roster for the end of the season is always the goal, and it was an improvement from years prior.”
The personnel that composed this deep and talented roster included two exceptional forwards: Cutrona and first-year forward from Canisius University named Skylar Cornell.
As one of the club’s pioneers on this team alongside Dani Martinez, Erin Weir, Vis, and Ford, Cutrona played a significant role in helping her new teammates adapt and improve as the season progressed, especially for Cornell.
“I have learned a lot from them,” Cornell acknowledged when asked about having the veteran presence of FCB’s legendary players. “They have been able to step up on this team as leaders. Everyone knows to go to them if they have questions or anything about the game, including outside of soccer. Coming into a new team is hard because nobody knows each other well. It’s tough to form connections on the field so fast. With Carissima, she’s been super helpful. Any questions I had about the formation or the [team] press, she has been able to answer them clearly and get everyone on the same page.”
The connection between Cutrona and Cornell resulted in the superstar forward players ending the season as the team’s joint-top scorers with five goals. Cutrona also concluded her season with the most assists on the team with three and was awarded this year’s Best Offensive Player and MVP award (tied with Ford).
[ RELATED: Cornell ‘honored’ to create history as FCB women host national semifinal ]
“The core veterans have a very good understanding of what we are after and what the season is meant to be, even in everyone’s journey when they come together,” said Bartholomew. You have veterans and new players getting along because they are all good people, not just good soccer players or athletes, but good-quality people who can come together and, quite frankly, have fun.”
Follow @FcBuffalo on Twitter for 2024 Men’s and Women’s Awards
For the past four years, Bartholomew has planted a winning culture among the FC Buffalo women’s team, and it has gone beyond this season as they exceeded expectations in their semifinal appearance.
So, how does a manager of her magnitude prepare her team for every season in a talented UWS season? Bartholomew takes a different approach from your ordinary manager.
“This team is a more player-centric environment where the players hold each other accountable so that we, as a coaching staff, don’t need to do that all the time. It just makes for a more pure, fun environment when that’s taking place,” Bartholomew revealed. “My coaching style, especially for this group, is pretty laid back. Some of them [FCB players] come from pressure-written environments, and this is an opportunity to try to find the love and enjoyment of the game. I am letting them be free so that they are at their most confident, creative selves.”
FC Buffalo has taken a massive step this season thanks to the men’s and women’s teams. While the men’s side has brought in talented players outside the Buffalo area, helping the team take a massive leap in their second season in the USL League Two, the women have succeeded in incorporating the homegrown talent.
All factors become crucial in growing the soccer community in Buffalo.
“We have done this each year, but we want to continue doing it, which is capitalizing on the most talented players already homegrown in the area. On the women’s side, many Buffalo-based players attend schools or D1 programs locally. We have a good core of that. Most of our team is made of Buffalo players, which is great,” said Bartholomew. “That is how we continue to grow and develop because we are trying to put the best quality soccer in the community. What better way to do that than with players who are a part of Buffalo?”
[ RELATED: FC Buffalo men’s team season in review: ‘When we’re in, we’re in’ ]
As she plans to coach the blue and gold next season and possibly beyond, Bartholomew recognizes this team as one of her best, describing them with one word: Buffalo.
As the Cow vs. Buffalo metaphor goes, When a storm approaches, cows run away. Buffalo, on the other hand, charge directly into the storm.
“We are just a team that stands for Buffalo. It is the blue-collar, resilient team. Whatever is thrown at us or comes our way, we are resilient and pushing forward through the storm.”
[ RELATED: 2024 Women’s Stats ]
