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Season Review: Girls’ soccer team made mark in short season

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Junior Olivia Borgen was an All-New England first teamer. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers finished the shortened season 9-2-2.

In a fall season like we’ve never experienced before, perhaps the strangest difference at Whitman-Hanson Regional High was to not see the girls’ soccer team gearing up for the state tournament, for the first time in 21 years.

That’s because there wasn’t one to prepare for. 

The Panthers still got what they could out of this COVID-shortened season, playing a stout Patriot League Keenan Division-heavy schedule.

“There wasn’t one game that you could look at and say that we have a great chance to win this game,” said 25th-year W-H head coach David Floeck. “Every game could go either way and I think that was great for our girls to get that experience.”

Floeck’s club finished the season 9-2-2, falling to Hingham in the semifinals of the Patriot Cup, 3-2, in a shootout.

“We had opportunities to win that game and so did they,” Floeck said. “I think we played very well in that match. We could have advanced. We had an opportunity to win the game with 15 seconds to go and their goalie made the save. We performed well and were happy with how the team played.”

Junior midfielder Olivia Borgen made it click for W-H on the offensive end. The Penn State-bound, All-New England first-teamer, scored nine goals and piled up eight assists.

“What Olivia found now was she wasn’t surprising anybody like last year, maybe she caught some teams by surprise with her offensive output,” Floeck explained. “Now teams were game-planning specifically to stop her, so one of the areas she grew in this year is how to handle when coaches are game-planning how to stop her.”

On the back end, junior defender Ava Melia garnered EMass First Team honors. 

“Ava was phenomenal,” Floeck said. “She’s always been a top-notch player and one of the hardest working players whether it’s practice or games, and what Ava really did this year is become a true leader. We graduated our whole defensive lineup, besides Ava and she took over as the leader of that group. With a lot of our backline being new, she turned them into a formable backline and that’s what allowed us to make a run because they played so well and she gets a lot of credit for that.”

Behind Melia was the goaltending tandem of senior captains Reese Codero (Patriot League All-Star) and Kylee Colclough (committed to play at Curry College).  

“We were fortunate to have two of the best goalies in the league on our team,” Floeck said. “They were the biggest supporters of each other. They celebrated each others’ successes, helped pick them up if something didn’t go well. We were very fortunate to have those two ladies in net for us.”

Senior captain and league all-star Alexis Billings played a key role in coordinating the Panthers’ offensive attack.

“She is one of those kids that isn’t always flashy, although she came up with some huge goals for us this season, but she is just the one who does all the dirty work in the midfield,” Floeck said. “She is someone you can just count on you know is just someone you count on. You just know you’re going to get a great effort and hard-fought game from Alexis.”

Senior captain and midfielder Abby Carew, senior striker Ana Sullivan, junior backs Megan Bizier, Skylar Jordan and Emily Leitch, sophomore midfielder Kayla Cassidy and freshman back Makenna Marshall also stepped up for the Panthers this season.

CALLING IT CAREERS

In addition to graduating seven seniors, W-H will also have to make up for the losses of longtime assistants Glenn Ward (23 years) and Tom Zamagni (26 years), both of whom are hanging up the whistles after a combined 49 years on the W-H sideline.

“So many things go on in our discussions and game planning together that have been instrumental, but the scouting the player development that they were both involved in, it’s hard to put into words what both of them have contributed to the program,” Floeck said. “Both are returning for family and that’s why they got into coaching. They treat it like it’s their family.”

‘Tis the season: Panther athletes get set to play on a very different field

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The fall sports season starts on Friday, Sept. 18 at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

The wait is almost over.

After nearly six months without high school sports, the fall season is finally set to get underway tomorrow at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

Cross country, field hockey, boys’ golf, soccer and girls’ volleyball will all begin practice. Football and fall cheerleading were moved to February.

“These have been difficult times for all of us, but especially our kids,” said W-H athletic director Bob Rodgers. “I am so excited to see them back with their coaches and teammates. I’m not sure people truly understand how much being part of a team means to our students but I know this will help them deal with these uncertain times.

“Our teachers have been working so hard for the return to school and the same holds true for our coaches. I hope everyone remembers that this is uncharted territory for all of us and we will do the best we can to serve our students the best we can. We will learn as we go and adjust when necessary.”

There are a few major changes coming to some sports. Field hockey will be played 7-on-7 instead of 11-on-11. There will be no throw-ins, slide tackling or heading the ball in soccer.

“This season is most certainly challenging, but we will meet this challenge with a covered smile,” said boys’ soccer head coach Dave Leahy.

That feeling is universal.

“I’m very excited that we get the chance to play this season,” said girls’ soccer junior Kelsee Wozniak. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge with the new rules, but the fact we even are allowed to play is great.”

Said girls’ volleyball junior Lily Welch: “All of my teammates and I are super excited about having a season. Even though it’s hard under the guidelines, we have all been getting together and training with each other. We have also had the chance to be teachers and work with the incoming freshman and I love that.”

There also won’t be a state tournament, but Wozniak said she’ll have no issue staying motivated playing in the Patriot League.

“We play in a very strong conference with talented teams,” she said. “Our goal is to compete and win our league. That will drive us every day to work very hard as a team.”

Regardless of what this upcoming season will look like or even how it may play out, one thing is certain heading into it.

“I can’t wait to get started,” said boys’ and girls’ cross country head coach Steve George.

A triple threat: Codero a 3-sport standout at Whitman-Hanson

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Codero dribbles the ball. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Since she was a freshman, all Reese Codero has ever known is being on the varsity team— in three sports.

Reese Codero’s refrigerator at home is littered with magnets. It’s what happens when you‘re a three-sport athlete.

But not only is the Whitman-Hanson Regional High junior a three-sport athlete, but she’s a three-sport varsity athlete, and she has been since her freshman year. That’s rare.

“I like it because it’s three different groups of girls I get to see each season,” Codero said. “I really like seeing different faces.”

Codero is a goalie on the soccer team, a point guard for the basketball team and a shortstop in softball. While Codero doesn’t have an offseason, she doesn’t need one because each sport prepares her for the next.

“With soccer, you see everything, so I feel like that helps me with basketball because when I’m setting up the offense I can see everyone, and obviously the hand-eye coordination is big,” Codero said. “And with soccer you’re moving laterally a lot. I feel like that helps with softball and even playing defense in basketball.”

“And I’m always sacrificing my body,” Codero added with a laugh. “The turf — I’ve grown an immunity to it so now the hardwood has no effect on me, and then going on to the dirt — it’s even better.”

That sacrifice is something first-year W-H girls’ basketball head coach Mike Costa noticed immediately.

“She’ll run through a wall for you,” Costa said. “She puts her body on the line.”

She’s always had the drive, but she’s developed the skill this winter as well, emerging as the tournament-bound Panthers’ starting point guard.

“She is probably our best ball handler with the guards,” Costa said. “I just feel comfortable with her with the ball in her hands and calling any play she sees. She’s good at seeing the game, so I trust her. She is going to be a big part of what we do moving forward the rest of the season.”

In the fall, she was part of a goalie tandem that helped the girls’ soccer team to a 15-1-2 regular season, winning the Patriot League Keenan Division title. Next season, she’ll serve as a captain.

Codero makes a save in soccer. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“Reese is a rare athlete these days; one who excels in three different sports,” said W-H girls’ soccer head coach David Floeck. “She has improved every year and I think that the skills required for her as a goalkeeper are reinforced with the other sports she plays. As a young lady, she is a leader and well respected by all her teammates. She is a top-notch kid and a talented athlete.”

This spring will be Codero’s third as the softball team’s starting shortstop. W-H skipper Jordan McDermott also raved about her leadership and attitude.

“Reese brings a lot of toughness to the Whitman-Hanson programs that she is involved in,” McDermott said. “I enjoy watching her teammates look up to her, but what I enjoy most is seeing the youth players in Whitman and Hanson support her and be her biggest fans — other than her family.

“She is never one to ask about her personal stats, but about the team stats. She’s never one to drop her body language when she makes a mistake or when a teammate makes a mistake. She is what being a student-athlete is all about.”

Codero fields the ball at shortstop. / Photo by: Sue Moss

So how does Codero juggle being a three-sport athlete with school?

“Time management is a big thing,” she said. “Obviously, studies come first, and I think I do a pretty good job of managing my time, making sure I get my homework done before I come to practice, staying after school if I need extra help. If you have time management, it’s really easy to balance.”

And it’s that sort of life lesson that Codero said she appreciates the most about playing high school sports.

“There’s big wins, there’s how to balance your time with school and there’s preparing you for college,” she said. “It’s really got everything.”

Big goals for Sam Smith at Boston College

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Sam Smith controls the ball against Northeastern. / Courtesy photo

Sam Smith led the Boston College women’s soccer team in goals as a freshman.

Shortly after Boston College named Jason Lowe its next women’s soccer head coach in January, he took a trip to the South Shore to watch some of the program’s incoming players.

Sam Smith, a reigning All-American at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, was one of them.

“You could tell she was a pretty technical player, but mostly off the field, I would say one of the biggest personalities in the freshman group, so we kind of clicked right away,” Lowe said. “Really great kid and really into soccer and could tell we were going to get along really well.”

The Hanson native arrived on campus a few months later.

“She came right in and just from our initial fitness test, she’s probably one of our fittest players on the team — definitely one of our fittest freshmen, so she definitely made a good first impression in the early days of preseason,” Lowe said.

And a strong preseason helped the freshman earn a starting role on the Eagles. After netting the winning goal in the Eagles’ opener against UMass, Smith did the same in the second game as well. By BC’s fifth contest of the season, she had four goals, three of which were game-winners.

“She didn’t overthink it too much,” Lowe said. “She got the ball and was playing with her first touch, and then she just drove into the 18 and got good shots off and did a really good job keeping the ball alive and just sort of staying in the moment.”

That was just a part of her success.

“I’d do film with her, and she actually is really good at breaking down her game and watching film,” Lowe said. “When we come in to watch it, she has already watched it and broke it down herself and had her own opinions.

“Every Monday, on our free day, she is out with the other freshmen working on their game. A combination of both of those helped her get off to a good start and helped her stay in our starting lineup.”

Smith entered Atlantic Coast Conference play with five goals. Lowe said her non-conference success wasn’t a surprise to him, but he wanted to see if she could perform against ACC competition. She did.

Smith netted two goals against Florida State in the conference opener and another against Miami (FL) the following game.

“That surprised me when she was able to do it against some of the top 10 teams in the country,” he said. “Her header against Florida State was probably one of the most perfect goals we scored all year.”

But that’s where the goal scoring would end for Smith because, with each goal, she started to become even more of a focal point of the opposing team’s defense — to the point where teams double-teamed her.

“There’s no secrets in our conference,” Lowe said. “They watched the film and figured out. She is certainly no secret.”

But despite not scoring again, she still led the team with eight goals this season.

“It was definitely frustrating to hear the other team always say, ‘Double team No. 9,’” Smith said. “It can get to you. See, I don’t think eight goals is a lot, I want to score more.”

Additionally, Smith earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team and was tabbed to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s All-Atlantic Region third team.

For as big as the goals Smith has garnered at BC were, bigger ones await.

“The sky’s the limit for her,” Lowe said. “I was talking with the U-20 [U.S. Women’s National Team] coach, and I think she is definitely on their radar in a really good pool of forwards and attackers.”

“That’s always been my goal,” Smith said.

A hero’s welcome: Sam Mewis inducted into W-H Athletics Hall of Fame

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World Cup champion Sam Mewis returned home to get inducted into the W-H Athletics Hall of Fame.

A World Cup title and back-to-back National Women’s Soccer League championships are part of Sam Mewis’ accomplishments, but some of her fondest memories playing soccer came from her time at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

“One time, Mary, one of my best friends from high school, I had said it was my mission to have her score a goal, and I was able to assist her first goal ever,” Mewis recalled. “I just remember being so happy and there was this picture in the newspaper, and it just meant so much to me to share that with Mary.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, Mewis returned to Dennis M. O’Brien Field — not to play — but as an inductee into the W-H Athletics Hall of Fame. She shared that message with the W-H girls’ soccer team before the game.

“She talked to [the team] about cherishing every moment,” said W-H head coach David Floeck, who coached Mewis from 2007-10. “She’s been in the biggest moments around, and she talked about remembering getting ready for her senior night and getting ready for the tournament and for the kids to enjoy each and every one of those nights.”

Braving the evening rain in a Whitman-Hanson Panthers sweatshirt and black pullover, Mewis, who was unable to attend the original W-H Athletics Hall of Fame induction last month, sandwiched a halftime speech between autograph sessions.

“It’s great [to be back],” said Mewis, who graduated from W-H in 2010. “It’s super exciting and it’s a huge honor. I’m just really excited to be here and be back with the community and seeing a lot of my old friends and teachers. It was awesome.

“I’m really grateful for obviously this community, the way that the coaches and players and my teammates contributed to all that success. Everyone who has been a part of my journey so far has contributed in such a big way, so I wouldn’t be here without them.”

During Mewis’ tenure at W-H, the Panthers went 74-6-4 and won four league titles. Floeck said she helped lay the groundwork for the program’s future.

“When Kristie (Sam’s sister) got here and Sam followed a couple years behind, that’s really when the program took off,” Floeck said. “We had been good up to that point, but that’s when it really took off and we’ve maintained a level of success that a lot of the players that have gone through here have a lot to be proud of.”

Erin Wood, a current senior back on the team, used to attend Mewis’ games growing up.

“Knowing she’s from our school is really awesome to see,” said Wood. “I mean, she grew up in the same town we did, probably five minutes from my house, so the fact that she made it that far in the World Cup and actually won, shows that even if you’re from a small town you build a name for yourself and can create something.”

And that’s just the message Mewis is trying to relay.

“I hope that I can inspire young girls to work hard and believe in themselves and know that no matter where you’re from or what you want to do, it’s possible,” Mewis said.

That’s just a part of the impact Mewis said she is hoping to have on society.

“One of our goals with this whole fight, to help inspire the next generation and all women to understand their value and their worth in the workplace,” Mewis said. “It’s a responsibility, but we also hope that young women everywhere understand that they deserve equal pay.”

Next up for the Hanson native, she now sets her sights on the chance to represent the country on the national stage once again, in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

“It would be unbelievable,” Mewis said. “I missed out on the Olympics last time and it was a huge honor to make the World Cup team, but I would love to continue making rosters and continue down that path.”

Billings boots girls’ soccer past Norwell, 2-1

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Junior Alexis Billings (No. 13) defends Kristi Vierra (No. 5). / Photo by: Sue Moss

Alexis Billings scored the winner to send the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team past Norwell, 2-1.

Often what Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer junior Alexis Billings does on the soccer field doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.

Well, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, it did.

With roughly 14 minutes remaining, she gathered the ball at the top of the penalty box and fired a shot into the left corner of the net, to send the Panthers past Norwell, 2-1.

“It felt so good,” Billings said. “I was so happy. I hugged all of my teammates as hard as I could.”

Billings was also tasked with marking Norwell’s top player, Wake Forest-bound senior Kristi Vierra, and Billings held her off the scoreboard.

“She’s not tallest player on the field,” W-H head coach David Floeck said of Billings. “But she plays a lot taller than she is. She does a lot of dirty work as well. It was nice to see her rewarded.”

“[Vierra] is amazing,” Billings said. “I play club soccer with her so I know how she is. She’s definitely a threat on the field.”

The Clippers struck first, getting on the board about 15 minutes in.

The Panthers responded before the half, when sophomore Nora Manning took a cross from classmate Olivia Borgen and sent it in the back of the net, tying it at 1-1.

“We’re resilient,” Floeck said. “We don’t like to fall behind but the team has shown a propensity to come back.”

The Panthers now await their opponent in the playoffs.

“Norwell’s a good team,” Floeck said. “They’re getting ready for the tournament and so are we. We’re both getting ready before the tournament starts.”

Borgen nets hat trick, Floeck notches 350th career win

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Consistency.

It’s been the hallmark of David Floeck’s tenure at the helm of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team.

He hasn’t had a losing since 1999 and his staff has remained in place — for the most part over his 24 years.

Today — powered by a hat trick from sophomore Olivia Borgen — Floeck notched his 350th career win with a 3-0 victory over Silver Lake.

“We’ve has a consistent staff and a lot of good players come through here,” said Floeck, who’s churned our three D1 players over the past two years. “We say we want to get better every day and keep it going so we do enjoy that success.”

Borgen struck for two of her three goals in a 10-minute span in the first half and capped it in the 60th minute.

“She’s been a spark plug in finding the back of the net,” Floeck said. “We have some others who have been struggling finding the back of the net but we hope that’s going to round itself out as we head into the tournament.”

Sophomore Ava Melia and seniors Samantha Perkins, Erin Wood and Courtney Woodward anchored the defense in front of junior goalkeepers Reese Codero and Kylie Colclough.

“We’re coming together back there,” Floeck said. “We gave up some goals earlier on the season that we don’t usually, but we’re coming together.”

The Panthers (11-1-1) secured their first Patriot League Keenan Division title since 2015 on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Plymouth North.

“We want to get better every day and we felt if we did that, certain things would come our way along the way,” Floeck said. “We want to get better every day and get into the tournament and hopefully have some success.”

Season Preview: Flexibility and depth are strengths for girls’ soccer

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24-year head coach David Floeck. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers made the postseason last fall, but were unable to make the bang they hoped for, bowing out to Hingham, 2-1, in the Div. 1 South quarterfinals, capping the season at 14-2-4.

For the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team, the goal remains the same.

“We want to get better every day and to be playing our best soccer towards the end of the season and hopefully that means we’re in the tournament and we can make some noise in there,” said 24-year W-H head coach David Floeck, whose team hasn’t had a losing season since 1999.

The Panthers made the postseason last fall, but were unable to make the bang they hoped for, bowing out to Hingham, 2-1, in the Div. 1 South quarterfinals, capping the season at 14-2-4.

“Going out in the second round of the tournament, that’s not something we wanted to see happen,” Floeck said.

Finding the back of the net was admittedly a challenge for W-H, which scored a nine-year low 51 goals. Now, with 44 of the goals back, scoring shouldn’t be an issue anymore. The now-sophomore trio of Olivia Borgen (eight goals), Nora Manning (eight goals) and Kelsee Wozniak (team-high 11 goals) netted over half of those tallies last season.

“They’ve worked on the physical part of their game and came back bigger, stronger and faster,” Floeck said. “They certainly have worked on things they needed to work on. We’re extremely impressed with the type of years they had last year, but if they duplicate that, we’d be disappointed because that means they didn’t grow.”

A striker, Wozniak was an EMass first-team selection and earned a spot in the Patriot League All-Star game, and she should be the catalyst of the offense yet again.

“She has the chance to go down as one of the best players we’ve ever had in this program when it’s all said and done,” said Floeck, whose program has churned out All-Americans in three straight seasons. “I don’t know that we’ve identified a ceiling for her yet. She has tremendous potential.”

Senior midfielders Riley Bina (captain), Anika Floeck and junior midfielder Alexis Billings will also be crucial assets to the offense.

Though, question marks do loom, in terms of experience, on the other end of the pitch, with the graduation of defender Olivia Johnson (starter for Endicott College), four-year starting goalie Skylar Kuzmich (starter for Hofstra University) and All-American back Sammy Smith (starter for Boston College), all of whom were captains last fall.

But the Panthers do return some talent back there, in seniors Sam Perkins (league all-star last season), Erin Wood, Courtney Woodward (captain) and sophomore Ava Melia.

In net, there’s a healthy competition going on between juniors Reese Codero and Kylee Colclough.

“They’ve been working with [Skylar Kuzmich] all along and both gotten varsity experience due to injuries or different opportunities,” Floeck said. “We feel pretty good about both of them. If we think both are at the same level, we can split them or they can play different games.”

Floeck said the Panthers’ strengths are their flexibility and depth.

“We have a number of players that play different positions,” said the coach. “We have a number of people who can put the ball in the back of the net, so if teams start to take away one aspect of what we’re doing there’s other players that can take advantage of that. We’ll have six or seven kids on our bench that can come in and score or help us defend.”

W-H opens its campaign at home Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. against league foe Plymouth South.

“We had a couple games that we didn’t perform at our best and it cost us the league championship,” Floeck said. “We’re gonna try to work on that to make sure we don’t have those missteps because we’re in a league where if you go out and lose a game or tie a game you shouldn’t have, it’ll cost you.”

 

In midst of ‘biggest accomplishment’ yet, Hanson’s Sam Mewis reflects on where it all started

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2019 USWNT Studio Shoot of Sam Mewis

W-H alum Sam Mewis made the US women’s national team’s roster for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Named to the U.S. women’s national team’s roster for the upcoming Women’s World Cup in France, Sam Mewis often reminisces about her days playing soccer at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

“I remember winning South sectionals and the joy of winning and how fun it was to do something that had never been done before,” said the Hanson native. “I still look at pictures from that game and I just remember how goofy we were and how much fun it was.

“Once on the bus we had this stupid trophy, we like taped a squirrel to it, and it was like a really weird thing and one time we left it in a restaurant after a game and Mr. [David] Floeck like stopped the bus and went back to go get it,” she added. “Those are the things that kept it so fun for us.”

For the 26-year-old Mewis, who was indulged in traveling with youth national soccer teams back in her teens, such times strengthened her passion for the game.

“I think that had the program not been so much fun, and had I not had such good friends on the team, I might have started to get stressed about soccer and maybe approach the game with a little more gravity,” Mewis said. “What Whitman-Hanson varsity soccer taught me was the best thing about it was I get to be outside playing with my friends, laughing, enjoying it. I should be my best self when I’m playing. I should enjoy it. I should want to laugh and smile when I’m playing. My memories there were so ridiculous, like in the locker room hall singing and dancing and we would throw glitter around.”

Mewis said her time playing at W-H has carried her to where she is now.

“I could have started to approach the game differently as I got older but because of the way the program handled me and handled the team, I was able to keep enjoying it and keep playing soccer with a smile on my face,” Mewis said

“I’m always able to bring that sense of freedom I had playing there with me, and I think that’s really when I play my best.”

She’s also injected that feeling of joy and freedom into her teammates.

“Now before national team games, I’m dancing and singing in the locker room and trying to make other people laugh and make sure everyone’s loose because I know that that’s what works for me,” said Mewis, who first made the U.S. U-17 women’s national soccer team in 2008.

But Mewis said her days at Whitman-Hanson most importantly helped instill a sense of confidence — that she can accomplish virtually anything she sets out to do.

“Coach Floeck and coach [Tom] Zamagni are two people who have told me I would get here from the beginning,” she said. “I think that is quite rare, to have people who have never doubted you. I really just feel like the people from Whitman and Hanson just always thought that I would make it. They’re not the people who doubted me, they’re the people who have been on my team the whole time.”

After all, making USWNT’s Women’s World Cup roster has been Mewis’ dream since watching the U.S. win the cup in1999.

“I kind of slowly made steps toward it,” she said. “Making youth national teams was an important step and then committing to play soccer at UCLA was another step. I had all these small steps along the way. I knew really early on that this was what I wanted to do and kind of just took the steps to get there.”

As she prepares for her first Women’s World Cup, Mewis, who scored twice in a U.S. friendly win over South Africa on May 12, said she would be content helping her team in any way she can.

“Whether that’s playing a role coming off of the bench and hopefully bringing the team some energy or just being the best teammate I can be, I really just want to make sure that I’m in a position where I’m healthy and available for selection and ready to help the team if they need me,” Mewis said. “I’m really just focusing on playing the role I’m given and trying to contribute positively to the team environment so we can succeed.”

The Women’s World Cup begins Friday, June 7. Team USA’s first game is Tuesday, June 11 against Thailand.

“Making the roster – to date – I think is probably my biggest accomplishment,” Mewis said. “I feel like this journey – the past couple of weeks – I have reflected a lot on really where it all started.

“I think that sharing the accomplishment with all of the people who have made it possible is probably what is so special,” she added. “I think that kind of reflection and appreciation from where I’ve come from and all the people who have helped me get here has been huge and really what has made this so monumental for me.”

On hanging tough: Comendul goes from stopping goals to scoring one for UMass women’s soccer

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Ari Comendul. / Photo by: Doug Keller

Ari Comendul convereted to a midfielder for her senior season.

All Ari Comendul could do was watch.

After her first three seasons on the UMass women’s soccer team, she received zero playing time.

“I had a lot of trouble breaking through that starting [goalkeeper] position,” said Comendul, who hails from Whitman.

The constant commitment to practice, with no results to show for it, began to take a toll on her.

“Everyone thinks of quitting at one point,” said Comendul, who began playing soccer at age 5. “It was hard. It was a grind every day, and no matter how much money you’re on, you really question if it’s worth it.”

Not playing was uncharted territory for Comendul, who, as a senior and the starting goalkeeper, helped lead the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ soccer team to the Div. 1 state finals in 2014. But a position change was anything but new to her. She didn’t step into goal until the middle of her junior season in high school, when she converted from forward.

“I honestly think we were at halftime, and I think our goalkeeper got hurt and our coach was like, ‘Who wants to go in net?’” recalled Comendul. “And for some reason my hand just shot up, and then I went in and I did well.”

So, with experience as a goalkeeper and forward stemming from high school, Comendul made the switch to midfielder this past spring in advance of her senior season at UMass. First-year Minutewomen head coach Jason Dowiak was the one who suggested the move.

“Having three goalkeepers, it’s tough to share the minutes,” Dowiak said. “I knew Ari had a little bit of experience playing the field and we just talked about it really. Weasked her if she was interested in the idea and she was more than interested, she was excited about it.”

After playing half the game in the field at first, she received significant minutes in UMass’ final spring bout against Holy Cross.

“We were just really light on numbers, and she ended up playing really well,” Dowiak said. “She was really productive and grasped a lot of the concepts we had been talking about.”

Dowiak said Comedul’s position change shone a light on two of her best attributes: unselfishness and leadership.

“She’s willing to kind of play whatever rolethe team needed,” he said. “I think she set a great tone for the mentality of the ‘Do what’s best for the team.’” Comendul didn’t just make the switch, but she was pretty effective as a field player as well. The biochemistry and molecular biology major played 278 minutes and had a goal and an assist on the season for UMass, which finished 11-6-1, surpassing the 10-win mark for the first time since 2011.

“It’s just a cool story,” Dowiak said. “You never hear about a goalkeeper changing positions and then becoming really impactful on the field. As a wing player, she made herself dangerous and she made players around her dangerous. She had a really good eye for the final pass. I’d say we missed some really good opportunities that she created.”

The goal came in the fifth game of the season Sept. 7 in an 8-0 victory over Chicago State. “It was funny,” Comendul said. “It was just awesome.”

Comendul said at times she felt like a freshman during the transition.

“My positioning was off a lot of the time, and it kind of just hit me one day that, ‘I need to stop trying to become a midfielder and just start being one and adopting the mentality of the position,’” she said.

Dowiak said it was Comendul’s intelligence, both on and off the field, that allowed her to succeed in the switch.

“She’s an incredibly gifted student,” Dowiak said. “She was able to process tactical information and ideas, as well if not better than most.”

When all was said and done, Comendul said she’s forever thankful she continued stick it out through the difficult times.

“I’m so happy I never quit,” she said. “I held that version to the past version of myself that I would stick it out and I did. I’m really grateful I ended on a high note.”