After suffering an ankle injury in her sophomore campaign, Ohio State junior midfielder Peyton McNamara (9) has returned to play in impressive fashion. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Omne trium perfectum. A Latin term meaning one simple phrase: Everything that comes in threes is perfect.
This group of “perfect threes” stars the leading ladies of the Ohio State women’s soccer team. Named co-captains of the 2023 season, senior midfielder Peyton McNamara, senior defender Nina LeFlore and junior defender Sydney Jones set a tone of excellence and passion that guided the team through another successful season, finishing with a winning record 9-7-2.
The three captains are leaving a legacy and winning while doing it.
“We all already had natural leadership tendencies and we really got to show that this season,” McNamara said. “You’re just the person who they chose to trust and lead a team through adversity and the ups and downs of the season so it’s an honor.”
McNamara was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team in November, making this her first season awarded with the honor. She joins Jones as an All-Big Ten Honoree, as well.
“Us having the captain band didn’t change much about the way we worked,” Jones said. “We were still going to be leaders with or without the band.”
The Ohio-grown junior had her own Big Ten All-Tournament mention last season following 20 season-match starts and having played in all 200 minutes of the Buckeyes’ two 2022 NCAA tournament games.
Coming back from an ACL injury during her sophomore preseason, LeFlore emphasized the trio’s focus on its mindset and cohesion as team leaders.
“As the season went on we got better at working together and we got more collaborative,” LeFlore said. “As our relationships and friendships strengthened we learned how to work through things with each other, which was really cool to experience.”
Leading a team and a school like Ohio State can bring enormous pressure. However, the three captains said they’re grateful for the ability to lead together as a joint force rather than lone wolves.
“Leadership can be lonely,” McNamara said. “Because you’re who everyone relies on, it’s nice to have someone to talk through problems with so not everything weighs down just on you.”
After losing eight seniors last season, the team leaned on the younger side, showcasing knockout underclassmen like freshmen forwards Amanda Schlueter and Ava Bramblett and sophomores Ella Giannola and Molly Pritchard at goalkeeper.
“Having a young flair was kinda cool which we used to our advantage but our job [as captains] was extra important just to establish our standards and show that every day,” Jones said.
McNamara said her favorite thing about being an upperclassman and leader was watching her younger teammates grow individually. She said as the season trotted along, they each started bringing their personalities to the pitch.
And just like in the rule of threes, LeFlore also said the team’s cohesion, regardless of how new its players, was thanks to the camaraderie and sportsmanship behind the scenes.
“They were super special players, which made our job super easy; they all genuinely trusted us as leaders,” LeFlore said. “The overall culture and climate of the team was magnificent this year.”
With Bramblett and Schlueter being honored as to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and Pritchard finishing with the fourth most goal saves in the conference, the three 2023 captains can rest easy knowing the Buckeyes’ future will be left in powerful hands.
“People like to define legacy a lot as certain stats or record holders, to me it means more than being a top goal scorer. We all bring a legacy within ourselves,” McNamara said. “We don’t always have to be the best on the field in numbers but we know we were the best to lead a team to where they wanted to be.”
