As a kid, Mario Iozzi learned that you need two good feet to be a dangerous soccer player.

So when teaching the sport to his daughter, Maddie, in the family’s backyard, he stressed that practicing and playing with her left foot was even more important than learning to use her once-dominant right.

The pair focused on it while she was learning the game with what is now her preferred foot.

Now a sophomore defender for Syracuse, Maddie Iozzi’s left foot has become one of her most valuable assets to the team.

Iozzi’s become dangerous from the back left for Syracuse’s defense and the team hopes to continue to rely on her versatility in its final four games of the season. Iozzi’s game is strengthened by the use of her left foot, a tool Syracuse depends on for a boost from the back.

“It’s definitely my left foot,” Iozzi said, when asked what her most valuable skill was.  “It’s rare to have left-footed players and it’s something that makes me different than any of our other defenders.”

Left-footed players are at an advantage on the left side of the field, Iozzi said, because they are able to naturally dribble with their dominant foot and keep the ball away from opponents and toward the left sideline.

They also have an edge when delivering services into the box from that left side of the field, and Iozzi is no different.

“Guaranteed that 10 times out of 10, her services into the box from the left side are going to be spot-on,” said freshman defender Jessica Vigna.

Iozzi stresses that although her left foot is her dominant foot, she is not reliant on it. She is able to cut the ball back from her left side back to her right side in order to make a move and go by opposing team’s defenders. Being able to use both feet and make runs down the left side of the field is what makes her dangerous, Iozzi said.

Vigna said that Iozzi is effective when she gets into the attack and makes those runs down the field. Iozzi’s ability to come forward, get shots on goal and push some balls through the defenders to the team’s playmakers makes her so valuable, Vigna added.

A consistent player for the defense, the sophomore defender has started in 11 of the team’s 15 games and played in them all, no matter which system the team has used. Her ability with both feet allows her to play effectively in both the team’s 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 systems, which create a tactical advantage for the Orange.

“We’ve looked at each game separately and asked ourselves, ‘What’s the best matchup?’” head coach Phil Wheddon said. “In both systems we’ve used this year, she’s been able to play because she likes to push forward.”

In the 3-5-2 system SU plays, the team has only three defenders and Iozzi would play as more of an outside midfielder or attacking wing back — playing up and wide, utilizing her speed and athleticism. In a 4-3-3 system she uses her aggressiveness and strong tackling and plays more as a left back, one of the team’s four defenders in that particular set, Wheddon said.

Wheddon would like to see his sophomore defender do a better job keeping possession out of the back of the defense and improving her timing of stepping to get pressure on the ball.

Iozzi deftly takes advantage of her physical gifts and skills, making her a dangerous player regardless of how or when she is used.

Said Vigna: “When she comes in off the bench or when she starts, I don’t think I’ve seen her have a bad game yet.”

Published on October 15, 2014 at 12:10 am

Contact Liam: lpsull01@syr.edu