Hall of Fame
The Lycoming College women’s soccer program experienced a renaissance of sorts in 2004, as the team won 12 games and experienced its first winning season in six years. The five-win improvement from 2003 was in no small part due to Jessica (Bennett) Brusgard, the team’s freshman goalkeeper.
The rookie was absolutely tremendous in goal, making 99 saves and posting an .846 save percentage. She set school records with 12 wins in the season and a 1.11 goals against average, as the Crofton, Md., native earned First Team All-Freedom Conference honors. Bennett notched 108 saves as a sophomore and continued to start in each of her four seasons with the program, never posting a save percentage of lower than 75 percent. As a senior, she posted a 1.14 goals-against average and led the team to a 9-8 record in its first year in the Commonwealth Conference, wrapping up her career with second-team all-conference honors.
Bennett holds Lycoming career records for wins (32), goals-against average (1.59) and shutouts (17) and she also set a single-season mark with five shutouts, in both 2004 and 2005. A three-time MAC Academic Honor Roll selection, Bennett also earned Third Team Academic All-District honors as a sophomore in 2005.
After graduating with a degree in biology, Bennett moved on to a Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she finished with a degree in Molecular Medicine with a specialization in cancer biology in December 2014. Bennett currently works as a biomedical life scientist with Leidos in Frederick, Md. She has stayed active in soccer, playing indoor soccer and outdoor soccer with coed recreation teams throughout the year. She also served as a trainer for the Damascus Spirit 96 club team for three seasons, during which time she earned a USSF National D Coaching License. Also an active runner and cycler, she has competed in several half-marathons, triathlons and Tough Mudders, while also becoming an avid surfer and paddle boarder. She married Eric Brusgard in 2012 and the couple reside in Odenton, Md., with their lab/retriever mix, Nani.
