(Worcester MA) The first adjective that came out of their mouths was, “awesome.”
I met with Alyssa Pettet (Amesbury) and Allie Waters (Newburyport) this afternoon after the Holy Cross/Navy women’s soccer match.
Both girls are freshmen on the team.
I had seen Alyssa and Allie play plenty of soccer in the Cape Ann League and wondered how they were doing at the college level.
That “awesome” in the first paragraph was in response to my, “How are things going?” question.
Instead of trying to summarize what they told me, I will let them speak for themselves.
“How are things going?”
Alyssa: “It’s awesome. I love it here. I’m having lots of fun.”
Allie: “The team and the community here are awesome. It’s definitely a huge transition from club to college. The level of play is a lot higher.”
“How did you get to come to Holy Cross?”
Alyssa: “I started talking to their coach in January of my freshman year. Then I committed in July. I have been in contact for a long time. I am excited to be here. I loved the community here and the beautiful campus. It’s a great academic school and they play high-level soccer.”
Allie: “I got here through communications between my club coaches and the coaches here. The prior coach saw me at a couple of showcase games. I committed here February of my junior year.”
“How are things going academically?”
Alyssa: “Academically, it is definitely a transition. It is a prestigious school. I haven’t gotten any grades yet. I’ve been balancing the academics with soccer. I think I’m figuring it out. We have academic chats with the assistant coaches every week. It’s a good thing.”
Allie: “It’s a lot fewer actual hours of school. In high school you sit eight hours in the classroom. For me, I have two classes a day at a top of 1 ½ hours each. In soccer season, they set you up with a strict schedule so that you know to get things done. Out-of-season will not be the time to procrastinate.”
“Have you been home at all?”
Allie: “We drove back together to watch our high school teams. We had fall break so there were no classes here, so we had the time. I watched Newburyport versus Rockport. It made me want to be out there. I have so many memories on the field.”
Alyssa: “I saw Amesbury against Triton. It was great to see the team at our game against Boston University. It is cool how supportive everyone has been.”
“How about the soccer facility here?”
Alyssa: “The facility is beautiful. They really maintain this place. It’s a little bit nicer than Cashman!”
Allie: “It’s weird playing on grass. I was used to playing on turf in club and high school. It has been an adjustment.”
Alyssa started for the Crusaders and played the first twenty minutes. Allie didn’t get into the game.
Holy Cross (1-14-1) has struggled in the very tough Patriot League.
“Every game is a battle,” said Alyssa, “and it’s awesome to be part of it.”
The Crusaders had a tough, 1-0, loss to Navy today. The Midshipmen are 10-5-3 and have been an impressive 5-0-1 in their last six matches.
Navy freshman Alexa Riddle scored her seventh goal of the season today in the 16th minute of the first half. She took a long pass and broke in behind the Holy Cross defense. Alexa nearly had another goal in the final seven minutes of the game.
The Crusaders had chances. In fact, Cerys Balmer had a penalty kick with thirteen minutes remaining in the game. The PK attempt went wide left.
“Not winning as much as high school is a mental battle,” said Allie. “In the end it will make us stronger. There will be a huge time of development in the off-season.”
Holy Cross is blessed to have Alyssa Pettet and Allie Waters within their student body. Now if they can just start winning some games!
Thanks to Charles Bare and Delaney O’Brien for arranging my visit today.
(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)
McClelland Miscellanea 