La Salle Midfielder Leads Conference Race

Ella Cadigan arrived at La Salle University knowing she was no longer the most dominant player in the room. The transition from a high school powerhouse in North Jersey to a Division I roster forced the midfielder to confront a gap in her development. For two seasons, that adjustment created a wall of self-doubt that dimmed her passion for the sport.

Cadigan, who starred at Westfield High School, admitted that tying her identity to her scoring stats drained the joy from the game. She described losing her love for soccer after struggling to replicate her high school success at the 20th and Olney campus. The pressure of being the best player on the team had become a heavy burden to carry.

The turning point came this summer while playing for Morris Elite SC in the United Soccer League. Cadigan shifted her focus to the mental side of the game and recognized that her college career would end in two or three years. She decided to invest time in activities outside of soccer, including running, reading, and baking, to relieve the pressure she had been holding.

That mental reset has translated into on-field production this season. The junior captain now leads the Atlantic 10 with 10 assists, a total that ranks near the top of all Division I women’s soccer. On Sept. 6, she recorded four assists in a 7-4 victory over Howard, setting a new single-game program record for La Salle.

Her performance has propelled the Explorers to the quarterfinals of the A-10 conference tournament. La Salle enters the match with a 9-5-4 overall record and a 6-2-2 mark in conference play. They will face Loyola Chicago at 5 p.m. on Friday, with the game available on ESPN+.

Coach Paul Royal noted that Cadigan’s growth stems from prioritizing team success over individual recognition. He said she now understands that she can influence her teammates and that they respect her leadership. Royal recalled meeting Cadigan and her twin brother, Patrick, in 2017 when they were sixth graders accompanying her father, Richard, to a La Salle game.

Richard played soccer at La Salle and introduced the twins to Royal nearly a decade ago. When the twins were five, Patrick was signed up for the sport first, which sparked a jealousy in Ella that led their parents to enroll her as well. Cadigan said she fell in love with the game after that initial push.

The only Division I coach to recruit her was Royal, a connection that suited her preference for a smaller campus after attending a high school with nearly 1,800 students. Cadigan values the close-knit environment at La Salle, where athletes in her grade know one another. She credited the team’s foundation of mutual support for helping her overcome her mental battles and reach this point in the season.