League success a realistic target for Athlone Town - Rossman
By Kevin Egan
As the host venue for the first in a series of four SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division games that will be broadcast live over the coming weeks, Athlone Town Stadium was the logical choice for TG4’s launch of their coverage of this year's league campaign.
The home club are right in the mix for the league title, all the more so following their 3-1 win over Peamount United in front of the TV cameras on Saturday evening, and the team is packed full of characters that have carved out their own unique journey to the Irish midlands.
Northern Ireland international Casey Howe fired in two goals in that win; there are players like Laurie Ryan (Clare) and Róisín Molloy (Sligo) who have played Gaelic football at inter-county level; the local flag is flown by Chloe Singleton, Kayleigh Shine and a handful of others. And on the other side of the coin, Maddison Gibson and Jesi Rossman add a touch of exotic glamour to the group, having joined Athlone from the far side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Gibson also got on the scoresheet against Peamount, pouncing on a rebound to nudge in the lead score with her left foot. Rossman was slightly unfortunate to concede the penalty from which Peamount scored, before going on to marshal a stout defensive effort for the remainder of the game, further demonstrating her immense value to a group that is on the smaller and younger side, relative to the 5’11 Florida native.
And as she spoke at the launch, it became clear that there’s a strong chance Rossman will be a part of Athlone Town’s remarkable journey in the women’s game here for a long time to come.
“I played college soccer in America with Madison Gibson and Dana Scheriff,” is how she began her origin story, when speaking to the Westmeath Independent.
“After I graduated I knew they had great experiences playing overseas, so I definitely wanted to play overseas as well. I called them and asked a few questions about what their experience was like, how to get in touch with a team. They basically said why don’t you come to Ireland. So I was like, yeah, that’s great, and then it all kind of worked out perfectly.
“I live in Athlone and I’m really enjoying it here. It’s just a quick bike ride to get pretty much anywhere, which is nice,” she continued, hinting at how she would be happy to make Athlone her home for a long time to come.
“I would say this is definitely a cute town to live in. I’m not used to living in a town where you can walk everywhere and everyone knows everybody. I think Ireland’s great overall, everyone is so nice here. I’ve definitely settled in. I love Athlone. I think it’s the perfect size.”
Coming from a background of Division One College soccer in the US, Rossman is used to being part of a set up where a huge level of commitment as asked and given by everyone involved, and she says that what she has fallen into in Athlone is perfect in that regard.
“I played Division One at Monmouth in New Jersey. That’s like a full-time job. You might have five or six classes a semester and training four days a week, two games a week for three to four months in the Fall. Then in the Spring it’s training six days a week with a few matches towards the end of the semester.
“So, it’s definitely a huge load physically and mentally. But it’s so much fun. It’s definitely a little less here because I’m not in school and we’re not training that many days a week with two matches a week. I don’t know if my body could handle that now!”
“I think there’s huge support for the women’s side in Athlone, and for the women’s game in Ireland overall,” Jesi remarked.
“The girls in the team take it seriously, and they want to do well. Ciarán (Kilduff, head coach) has been great since he’s come in. He’s loves coaching the women’s game and understands it so well, I think with all the support on top of all the girls on the team wanting the best for the club, that’s helped us grow really quickly over a short period of time.”
Four games in, Galway United have been the surprise pace-setters with a 100% record, and just three points separates the next six teams in the table. Athlone is at the head of that sextet with two wins and a draw, and Rossman is in no doubt that the reigning FAI Cup holders are entirely capable of taking the next step and putting together a winning campaign.
“We really want to win the league and I think it’s possible. I think there’s a bunch of crazy results going on,” she suggested.
“It’s really early to say, I think it’s definitely realistic to say we can win the league this year. We want to do well in all the competitions that we play in so there are lots of high expectations. The excitement of things like the live TV coverage helps too, that definitely brings a different kind of energy. It feels like another cup game because of all the coverage that’s going on.
“My parents have the LOI package so they watch every match. My wider family watches the matches too. It is nice to have a fanbase at home who are watching, but for Athlone Town and women’s league to grow, getting the games onto live TV where everyone can just flick over and see that we can play just like the men, if not better. Some people think women’s soccer is even more entertaining,” Jesi added.