IU women’s soccer senior midfielder Veronica Ellis did not come to Bloomington to play for IU Coach Amy Berbary.
Former women’s soccer coach Mick Lyon and his staff recruited Ellis to IU, but Lyon retired from coaching following the 2012 season. This decision left Ellis and other IU class of 2013 recruits in the position of working with an unfamiliar coach Berbary took over in February 2013.
“My freshman year was the biggest transition for me — understanding how to deal with everything and also transitioning to college and all that goes with it,” Ellis said.
Despite these circumstances, Ellis instantly became one of the key players for IU during the 2013 season. Ellis played 22 times for the Hoosiers as a freshman, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
IU’s last appearance in the NCAA Tournament came in the 2013 season, and it was Ellis who provided the defining moment of the season for IU. Ellis scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory against DePaul in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to give IU its first NCAA Tournament win since 2007.
That goal was Ellis’ third of the season, and all three were game-winners.
“Veronica has been a wonderful story over her four years here,” Berbary said. “She wasn’t one of ours, and she has just been great. She has a wealth of soccer knowledge that she portrays and that helps the younger kids along.”
Only three years removed from her first season with the Hoosiers, Ellis knows the challenges freshmen face when it comes to adapting to the college game.
“If the freshmen on this year’s team ever need any help with anything, I’m always open to answering their questions,” Ellis said.
During her sophomore and junior seasons, Ellis was named an Academic All-Big Ten player while continuing to play an important role on the pitch for the Hoosiers. Ellis played in all 19 games for IU in each of the 2014 and 2015 seasons, one of only three players on the team to do so.
As a sophomore, Ellis scored twice more for the Hoosiers, and just like in her freshman season, both were game-winners.
“Something that has always remained consistent during my time at IU is that this team always finds a way to fight and to never give up,” Ellis said.
Although Berbary has officially listed Ellis as a midfielder every year she’s played for IU, Ellis has played a variety of positions on the field.
Injuries forced Ellis to spend time last season playing at both left back and right back, and while Berbary now has Ellis primarily playing at left back for the team, she knows Ellis holds experience at virtually every position on the field.
“She is just a hardworking, gritty utility player,” Berbary said. “In the transition over the last three years, she has stepped in everywhere. She has played forward, she has played in the midfield, she has played as a winger. We even tried her as a center back this past spring. She has done it all.”
Regardless of Ellis’ position on the field, her performances have not wavered in quality. Ellis was named to the Boilermaker Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team and the Stomp in the Swamp All-Tournament Team in 2015 for the Hoosiers, and she was the only player to receive all-tournament honors in both of the team’s non-conference tournaments last season.
Ellis has continued to demonstrate her importance to the team this season by starting all six matches so far for IU. She scored her first goal this season in IU’s most recent match, a 2-1 home defeat to Southern Methodist on Sept. 5.
For her final collegiate season, Ellis hopes the Hoosiers can rise to the occasion for a coaching staff she now considers her own.
“Every team that I’ve been on here at IU has been awesome,” Ellis said. “The girls and my teammates, both past and present, are something that I will never forget about my experience here. I’m excited, and I hope it goes really well for my last season.”
