Hempfield grad Sydney Patrick leads Slippery Rock women's soccer into 2024 season eager to finish big

In her day, 10th-year Slippery Rock women’s soccer coach Jessica Giegucz was a pretty fair player. She was a four-time all-conference forward who amassed 34 goals and 20 assists in her career at Division III Dickinson.

But ask Giegucz to compare herself to current Rock forward Sydney Patrick, and she doesn’t hesitate.

“Listen, she’s a better player than I ever was,” the coach said.

Patrick, a Hempfield grad, is heading into her graduate season for Slippery Rock, and by the time she is finished this fall, she will go down as one of the program’s more accomplished players.

With six goals this season — her total from 2023 — she will have 18 in her career and move into the top 20 in SRU history. One of her six goals last season was a so-called “Olimpico,” which is scored directly off a corner kick, a rare feat, Giegucz said. She pulled it off in the first minute of last September’s 3-2 win over IUP.

If Patrick records at least six assists, she will take over The Rock’s all-time lead in that category. Ashley Paganie, who played from 2007-10, is the current record-holder at 26.

Patrick, who earned her first all-PSAC West honor last season (second team), enters the 2024 season with 21 career assists, including 11 last season that represent the second-best mark in program history.

So adept is Patrick that she has started all 58 matches in which she has appeared in her three previous seasons. That isn’t likely to change this fall as SRU (12-4-3, 11-2-3 PSAC West in 2023) tries to make amends for what Patrick called an “abrupt” ending to 2023.

“Her pace and her quickness are obviously going to be a big piece from the athleticism standpoint,” said Giegucz, who needs five wins to reach 100 in her tenure at The Rock. “She’s an extremely dynamic player on and off the ball. … One of her extremely special qualities is her speed doesn’t slow down when the ball is at her feet. And that’s so rare to find.”

Patrick’s first season at Slippery Rock was the infamous covid year of 2020, when all competitions were canceled. Unable to take part in a normal season, Patrick instead was able to immerse herself in college life and get a feel for the program without having the rigors of a full soccer schedule while tackling a difficult major, exercise science.

She said easing into college helped her hit the ground running the following year when restrictions were eased.

“We got to play a few games in the spring of my freshman year,” Patrick said, “so I got to get out the college jitters when the games didn’t really matter for statistics or anything.”

She has continued on an upward trajectory since, and she enters her final season of eligibility eager for a big finish. Her college career will conclude almost the same way it started: She was able to ease into her first season, and now she can ease into her finale.

With her exercise science degree completed, Patrick is working toward her master’s with an admittedly easier course load. That has given her more time to focus on soccer than she might have in the past.

There also is the added motivation of how The Rock’s 2023 season ended. SRU entered the PSAC quarterfinals riding a 10-match unbeaten streak but was routed by Gannon, 4-2.

To add insult to injury, Slippery Rock was left out of the NCAA Tournament. “Slighted” was the word Giegucz used.

“The loss we endured in the first round off the playoffs against Gannon, it just really didn’t sit right to me,” Patrick said. “I never like losing, but (that) loss felt a little bit different.

“Our returners just need to remember the anger, the sadness and the frustrations that we felt in that playoff game, and I think we can use those feelings as motivations to push us through the difficult parts of the season.”

And there are plenty of returners who remember those feelings all too well. Nine of 11 starters are back to push for a deeper playoff run. Patrick again will serve as a captain.

Leadership is one of Patrick’s many qualities that Giegucz said makes her the complete package as a player.

“She just stands out for so many reasons,” the coach said. “She’s just a great learner and a very invested person. As a forward, she’s so willing to defend and work back and to help her team recover the ball.”

Offense, however, remains her calling card. Patrick admitted she would like to score a few more goals — not so much for herself but to help the team’s cause — but she is perfectly content dishing to her teammates.

“It’s always been what I’ve done,” she said. “I like to do my work, and I like to set up my teammates so they can have their fun, too. If I can do my part, and they can do their part and we can all have success in that game, then it all works out.”

Added Giegucz: “I’ll never say no to goals, but I’m also not going to put that pressure on her. I think what we have is a team that has a plethora of ways we can put the ball in the back of the net.

“… If she just maintains what she’s doing, we’re still going to be extremely successful.”

Slippery Rock players and coaches recently took a trip to Costa Rica, another sort of bookend moment for Patrick’s career.

As she was able to get accustomed to college soccer via the covid year, she is looking at the Costa Rica trip as a way to give the current freshmen a similar experience. They got to play a little soccer, but, mostly, it was a time of bonding that, Patrick hopes, will help launch another strong season.

“When I was first coming in, it was all of the older players being very welcoming and just showing me the ropes,” Patrick said. “So if I can just do that with the freshmen and get them adjusted to the culture and the belief system and all of that, they’ll be just fine, and that will lead us to a smooth-sailing season.”