Soccer has always been a passion for Cassie Barbaresi. So much so that in high school, she moved from Connecticut to Florida to attend the prestigious IMG Academies in Bradenton.
There she ate, drank and lived soccer every day — she was named attacking player of the year at IMG in 2005 and most valuable player in 2006 — and could’ve easily enjoyed the spoils of her sport by playing for a Division I powerhouse. Instead she chose another academy, the Naval Academy, where the first thing she had to do upon arrival was give soccer up for six weeks.
“Plebe summer was just — I don’t even know how to explain that — that was just in it’s own class,” said Barbaresi of the grueling indoctrination all Navy freshmen, who are called plebes, must endure. “Just knowing that we had soccer coming up was definitely helpful to make it through.”
Navy’s Patriot League opponents may wish plebe summer lasted longer. Barbaresi has helped the Midshipmen (11-0) to their best start in the program’s 14-year history. This week Navy, one of two unbeaten and untied teams in the country, received its first national ranking from Soccer America, No. 25, a spot it shares with William & Mary (8-1-1).
“She looked at the bigger picture and what she wanted to do with her life, and maybe the direction she wanted to go after she graduated,” said Navy coach Carin Gabarra of Barbaresi, the main reason the Midshipmen’s recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the Patriot League by Soccer Buzz. “She’s not only a good athlete, she’s a good person who has a lot of drive and a lot of goals she wants to accomplish.”
With talent, speed, incredible ball control and tactical awareness, Barbaresi is a step ahead most of her opponents and teammates. The forward has scored five goals and added seven assists, the latter of which has tied a school freshman record. In the first month of the season she was named Patriot League rookie of the week twice and offensive player of the week once.
“She’s more creative than the rest of us are so she’s able to put more flair on the field,” said Navy senior forward Meggie Curran (Silver Spring/Good Counsel), who leads the team with five goals and eight assists. Curran has 97 career points and is on track to be the fourth Navy player in history to reach 100. She’s not only Barbaresi’s strike partner, she’s become a trusted friend.
“[Curran] actually talked to me over plebe summer and helped me through the whole thing because you don’t really know what to expect,” said Barbaresi. “She really doesn’t have this whole air about her that she’s a ‘Firstie,’ she doesn’t have to associate with plebes, which totally changes everything on the field.”
Navy seniors are known as Midshipmen First Class, or ‘Firsties’, and Curran said bridging the gap across classes, which is stressed so often in daily life at Navy, is another key reason for the Midshipmen’s success thus far.
“A few years ago, the senior class had brought class distinction onto the field and you could tell when we played it made some of the plebes really timid,” said Curran. “Our ‘Firstie’ class, we’ve stressed that when we’re on the field, everyone’s the same.”
