Madelyn Buckner wears a lot of hats for the Creighton women’s soccer team. She is a defender-turned-midfielder, a teammate, an upperclassman, a captain, and a leader on and off the field. In the words of her head coach, Bruce Erickson, she is the “compass” of this Creighton Bluejays squad.
Buckner, a junior and native of Overland Park, Kan. began her Creighton journey in 2011 when she took a visit to campus and was quickly sold on becoming a Bluejay.
“I liked the atmosphere here,” Buckner said. “It just felt like a family. And once I stepped into Morrison Stadium, I just thought it would be so awesome to play here. Bruce wasn’t scary like so many other coaches that I had met and all the girls were really nice. It’s also Catholic and that was an important thing for me.”
Creighton was a perfect fit for Buckner, and Buckner turned out to be exactly what Creighton needed as well. Graduation left the Jays with a hole at center back, and Buckner took advantage, claiming the vacant spot in the line-up and starting each of the team’s 18 games that season as a true freshman.
“Madelyn has a lot of strengths,” Erickson said. “One of the things for us was that, physically, she was college ready. [She was a] tenacious defender and aggressive and sort of asserted herself differently than a lot of freshmen do … talent-wise and physically and athletically, she was ready to go.”
Buckner is a player who likes to be on the field, and said she was grateful for the opportunity to play right away, which is something a lot of freshmen don’t often get the chance to do. Buckner finished her freshman campaign playing the third-most minutes on the team and was named to the MVC All- Freshman Team after helping the Jays to a 9-6-3 record.
Unfortunately, 2012 did not go nearly as well for Creighton. It was a nightmare season for the Bluejays as they could not get a single ball to bounce their way and finished just 3-13-3. However, despite the struggles of the team, Buckner took a big stride forward in her development. With nine players being lost to graduation after the 2011 season, Buckner stepped up as a leader and was named a team captain despite having just one collegiate season under her belt.
“I knew our team needed leadership… We were really young and we just needed someone to step up,” Buckner said. “I wanted to do it.”
Filling that leadership role as a sophomore was not easy, however.
“It was kind of hard balancing being an underclassman but also holding a leadership position,” Buckner said. “Last year was a tough year, we were really inexperienced, but I think we’ve learned a lot from last season and you can see how we’ve learned from it this season.”
One positive that came out of the 2012 season was Buckner’s first career goal. Then senior Gabriella Guillen set her up with a cross and Buckner was able to send it into the net. In addition to being her first goal, the shot had added significance for Buckner as both of her parents were in attendance for the game.
This season has been a much more positive one for the Jays, as they have already eclipsed last season’s win and goal totals and sport a 7-3-1 record overall. The increased success has produced some confidence for the Jays as they transition to the Big East Conference.
“I think we’re excited because we’ve had so much success, and that gives our team a lot of confidence going in [to Big East play],” Buckner said. “We switched conferences, we’re playing all new teams, so it’s always good to have wins under your belt. The confidence was big coming off a losing record last season.”
Unfortunately, things have not gone quite as well individually for Buckner. Although the team is winning, she has had to deal with injuries throughout the season that have limited her. Erickson decided before the season to move Buckner up from center back to the midfield – a move Buckner said would allow her to be more involved in the team’s attack – but with early injuries to herself and her teammates on the back line, she has not been able to focus fully on the new position and show what she is capable of.
“This year she’s been really slowed by injury, which is frustrating for all of us and disappointing because you know what she brings to the table, and she’s not able to bring that level,” Erickson said. “We’re hopeful that the best part of her season can be towards the end here.”
When healthy, Erickson said Buckner is a player who can win balls, connect on passes and shoot from distance, and that she is a great overall presence to have in the middle.
“Right now we’re just trying to get her back healthy to where we can play her some quality minutes,” Erickson said.
Even though she has not been able to have a major impact on the pitch so far this season, Buckner’s leadership and selflessness as a captain have been vital to the team’s success.
“She’s very team-first. It’s not about her, it’s about everyone else … She’s very well respected from that regard and I think her level of caring about the team is a big reason why she’s a captain,” Erickson said. “She’s a great representative of our team, and of the university and of her teammates. Having her be a part of what we’re doing, regardless if she’s playing 90 minutes, she just has so much value on and off the field for us.”
As for the rest of the season, Buckner said the Jays are just taking it one day at a time.
“Our focus the whole season has been ‘be a better team than the Creighton team was yesterday,’” Buckner said. “Not really focusing on external goals. It’s more about internally just getting better with every practice and every game.”
Although the Jays are not focusing on the wins and losses as of now, with Buckner guiding the team, success is sure to follow.