Miami's Success a Credit to Steinbruch's Historic Career
Oct. 21, 2010
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For University of Miami fans, it’s always fun debating who the best ‘Canes are of all-time. So many great student-athletes have come through Coral Gables over the years, it’s usually a tough call settling on one name for a particular sport.
For football, there are names like Lewis, Reed, Johnson and Dorsey. In baseball, there’s Burrell, Braun and Cora. Dozens of other names in those sports are worthy of mention without a doubt.
The same can’t be said for the Miami soccer program, where senior forward Brittney Steinbruch clearly stands above the rest.
The most prolific offensive player in school history, Steinbruch holds Miami records for career points, career goals, goals in a season, game-winning goals in a season and points in a season. She has been the face of the `Canes over the last four years, a period in time in which her right foot has played a substantial role in the program’s emergence on the national stage.
It started with a record-setting freshman season in which the Wyckoff, N.J. native took the college soccer scene by storm with a 16-goal, 35-point campaign that earned her numerous freshman All-America honors. Her success carried right over into her sophomore season as she scored eight goals in UM’s first six games before a hip injury cut her season short. Two years later, a healthy Steinbruch has picked up right where she left off as the `Canes offensive star, leading the team with seven goals and 16 points in 2010.
“It has been a huge honor to represent the University of Miami and this soccer program,” Steinbruch said. “I obviously couldn’t have had the career I have had without my team and coaches. What I am most proud of though, is helping put our team on the map. We are getting better and better and better as a program and I take a lot of pride in that.”
The team’s progression since Steinbruch’s arrival is hard to ignore. Before she came to Coral Gables in 2007, the Hurricanes had never had a winning season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Since her arrival, Miami has had two winning seasons and with a 9-5-1 record this year, one more win and a third is in order.
It won’t be easy though. The `Canes have four regular season games left, all against elite opponents. The Hurricanes know they control their own fate, and it starts tonight at Cobb Stadium with a match-up against Virginia Tech at 7:30 p.m. From there, the Hurricanes will host No. 7 Virginia on Sunday before traveling to No. 6 Boston College and No. 4 Maryland next weekend.
Eleven different players have scored at least one goal this year for the 2010 `Canes, including eight who have reached the back of the net multiple times. In Steinbruch’s record-setting freshman season in 2007, only four players finished with multiple goals as Steinbruch’s 16 accounted for nearly half of the team’s total.
This year’s club is clearly different – and more importantly – one of the deepest in ninth-year head coach Tricia Taliaferro’s tenure. So much talent has been added around Steinbruch in recent years that the team’s make-up has taken a turn for the best.
“One of the great things about this team is the number of different girls scoring,” Steinbruch said. “It has been fantastic how much of a team effort this year has been. Not that it wasn’t before – it was – but it is just so exciting now that everyone is contributing.”
Part of that maturation process centers around Steinbruch, whose injury her sophomore year put a temporary hold on her career and the ultimately the team’s development around her.
“It was a long process,” Steinbruch said. “I have never been hurt like that before so it was definitely something that I wasn’t used to.
“I learned a lot though.” Steinbruch added. “It was a tough experience but I learned a lot and I’m just glad to be playing this year with my teammates and for this program.”
Her teammates and this program have an important few weeks ahead. Finish out strong and the `Canes have a solid case for reaching their third NCAA Tournament in the last four years, a feat that would cap off an impressive run by Steinbruch and her classmates.
It’s going to take more than just one though to get it done.
“My role on this team is being a part of it all,” Steinbruch said. “No more than anybody else…just to be a part of it.”
Other women’s soccer notes…
– Steinbruch is in line to graduate with a degree in Sports Administration in May, 2011. She will be joined by Brittney Macdonald, Barbara Blocker, Katie Oddo and Lauren Singer in a pregame ceremony honoring the team’s senior class before tonight’s match at Cobb Stadium.
– Brittney Macdonald – Miami’s top defender – has a career-best three goals this season, including two game-winners.
– Junior goalkeeper Vikki Alonzo boasts a .793 save percentage and 1.11 goals against average.
– Fans in attendance at either game this weekend will have the chance to win prizes, including a team autographed poster and soccer ball as well as one of many Miami Soccer t-shirts. Tickets can be purchased for $3 for children and $5 for adults at the Cobb Stadium gate one hour prior to kick-off. University of Miami students receive free admission with their `Cane Card.
