How Soccer Saved Me
9/3/2019 9:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer, Blog, Tomorrow's Leaders
Trying to summarize the 15 years of highs and lows that have led me to become a student-athlete at Rice is nearly impossible, but I'm going to give it a shot. I believe that everything happens for a reason and my journey to Rice was no accident. When I started playing soccer, at the young age of five, I really just ran around in circles; my sole goal was to kick the circular thing in front of me towards one of the nets. I wasn't a goalkeeper yet, that didn't start until my freshman year of high school. My dad was the one who introduced me to soccer and came to every game and practice as I grew up. He witnessed it all, the highs and lows and especially my tremendous growth spurt.
I didn't exactly grow into my body for quite some time, as some of my teammates will tell you. There were times when I would literally be running on the field, headed for the ball and I'd hear my parents yell, "Go, Maya, shoot the ball." Then, before I knew what was happening, I was falling to the ground because my legs and my mind weren't exactly on the same page. To say the least, watching me play throughout middle school, trying to adjust to my body, must have been quite an adventure. It wasn't until high school that playing collegiate soccer crossed my mind. And then I joined one of the best teams in Northern California: Santa Clara Sporting. By sophomore year, we were ranked 12thin the nation and 1st in Northern California. Up to that point, soccer was simply a part of my life and something familiar to me. I didn't know why I played, beyond the routine of the last 10 years and that I enjoyed the sport. Things changed when my junior year started. I was going through the recruiting process, with the constant travel to ID camps and competing at college showcases. But something else happened during my junior year, something that changed soccer's role in my life. I will remember this game for the rest of my life.
After the game, as usual, my teammates and I would always go and greet the parents or discuss the game. My dad and my brother had left the game early, which was unusual, but I didn't think much of it. In retrospect, that should have been a much larger warning sign. As we socialized postgame, my mom was extremely tense and kept telling me that we needed to leave, but I was getting frustrated because I wanted to stay and talk with my friends. When I asked what was wrong, she finally said that we had a family emergency. The car ride home was the longest ride of my life. My mom was barely talking and it took persistent questioning before she finally told me what was going on.
Everything happens for a reason and my journey to Rice was no accident
We had an electrical fire in our kitchen. Our AC was on and all the smoke circulated through the vents and throughout the house. All of our rooms were stained black from the soot and nearly everything we owned was destroyed. Without knowing how much damage the smoke did, we grabbed clothes for the night and stayed in a hotel while we reviewed our options. But unfortunately, the smoke damage was so severe that all of the clothes we owned were unwearable. Given the extent of the damage to the house, we were told that we could return and move back in a couple of months. A couple of months turned into a year and a half.
For the first three weeks, my family and our dogs had to stay in a hotel. My mom and I were together in one room and my brother and dad were staying on the other side of the complex. We had an older dog at the time who couldn't walk down stairs and so we didn't have much choice of rooms on the bottom floor. Eventually, we found a rental home where I lived for the majority of my senior year. I didn't know how to handle the fact that I no longer had the comfort of being in my own home and that almost everything I owned was destroyed. Nothing felt right anymore. As we tried to move forward, I was just so angry and in disbelief. I realized that I didn't have an outlet or really anything to look forward too. School wasn't enjoyable and I was struggling to find a core group of friends to connect and hang out with. There wasn't really anywhere for me to turn.
School, my social life, my family, everything just felt off.
With the fire and its fallout, I had to take a couple of weeks off from soccer while we settled into our rental house. Then we had to figure out a carpool situation because I was living so far away now. But once I started training again, it didn't take long to realize that soccer was what I had been missing; soccer was my outlet. I showed up to every practice so excited because soccer was the one thing that I looked forward to every day. I was super focused and genuinely enjoyed pushing myself at every single practice. Amidst the struggle with the fire, I had to start thinking about where I was going to commit for soccer. College was looming closer every single day and I needed to make a decision.
Around November, I was pretty much decided on committing to the University of San Francisco. And then I received an email from a school I had never heard of, Rice University. My dad, just like with soccer, urged me to consider Rice as an option and at least take a visit to Houston. I hesitantly agreed to the visit and the trip, but I instantly fell in love with the school.
There's just something about Rice that clicked with me immediately, both from a school aspect and with coach Nicky Adams who made me feel so comfortable. That's when I knew Rice was the school for me. Fast forward a few years to my sophomore year of college, when I truly realized that everything happens for a reason. Our team qualified for the first round of the NCAA tournament and both individually and as a team, we set numerous Rice soccer records. I channeled my motivation and passion to accomplishing what was at hand and was named C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year. From when I started to play soccer at five years old to now, I never would have thought I'd end up in the position I'm in today. My experiences in high school, from the fire that destroyed our home, to my relationships with my friends and family may have felt like a setback at the time; however, I wouldn't have gotten through it all and pushed myself this far without soccer. I am truly blessed to be where I am and for that, I am a better person. The memories and success from being a student-athlete make every struggle and the dedication to the sport of soccer worth it. To be a senior now feels absolutely unbelievable. While I only have one more season left, the fact that I have four months left to make history with some of my best friends is amazing. Shout out to Louise, Erin, Lianne, and Haley! Let's leave our mark and, as always, love the grind.
GO OWLS!
I didn't exactly grow into my body for quite some time, as some of my teammates will tell you. There were times when I would literally be running on the field, headed for the ball and I'd hear my parents yell, "Go, Maya, shoot the ball." Then, before I knew what was happening, I was falling to the ground because my legs and my mind weren't exactly on the same page. To say the least, watching me play throughout middle school, trying to adjust to my body, must have been quite an adventure. It wasn't until high school that playing collegiate soccer crossed my mind. And then I joined one of the best teams in Northern California: Santa Clara Sporting. By sophomore year, we were ranked 12thin the nation and 1st in Northern California. Up to that point, soccer was simply a part of my life and something familiar to me. I didn't know why I played, beyond the routine of the last 10 years and that I enjoyed the sport. Things changed when my junior year started. I was going through the recruiting process, with the constant travel to ID camps and competing at college showcases. But something else happened during my junior year, something that changed soccer's role in my life. I will remember this game for the rest of my life.
After the game, as usual, my teammates and I would always go and greet the parents or discuss the game. My dad and my brother had left the game early, which was unusual, but I didn't think much of it. In retrospect, that should have been a much larger warning sign. As we socialized postgame, my mom was extremely tense and kept telling me that we needed to leave, but I was getting frustrated because I wanted to stay and talk with my friends. When I asked what was wrong, she finally said that we had a family emergency. The car ride home was the longest ride of my life. My mom was barely talking and it took persistent questioning before she finally told me what was going on.
Everything happens for a reason and my journey to Rice was no accident
We had an electrical fire in our kitchen. Our AC was on and all the smoke circulated through the vents and throughout the house. All of our rooms were stained black from the soot and nearly everything we owned was destroyed. Without knowing how much damage the smoke did, we grabbed clothes for the night and stayed in a hotel while we reviewed our options. But unfortunately, the smoke damage was so severe that all of the clothes we owned were unwearable. Given the extent of the damage to the house, we were told that we could return and move back in a couple of months. A couple of months turned into a year and a half.
For the first three weeks, my family and our dogs had to stay in a hotel. My mom and I were together in one room and my brother and dad were staying on the other side of the complex. We had an older dog at the time who couldn't walk down stairs and so we didn't have much choice of rooms on the bottom floor. Eventually, we found a rental home where I lived for the majority of my senior year. I didn't know how to handle the fact that I no longer had the comfort of being in my own home and that almost everything I owned was destroyed. Nothing felt right anymore. As we tried to move forward, I was just so angry and in disbelief. I realized that I didn't have an outlet or really anything to look forward too. School wasn't enjoyable and I was struggling to find a core group of friends to connect and hang out with. There wasn't really anywhere for me to turn.
School, my social life, my family, everything just felt off.
With the fire and its fallout, I had to take a couple of weeks off from soccer while we settled into our rental house. Then we had to figure out a carpool situation because I was living so far away now. But once I started training again, it didn't take long to realize that soccer was what I had been missing; soccer was my outlet. I showed up to every practice so excited because soccer was the one thing that I looked forward to every day. I was super focused and genuinely enjoyed pushing myself at every single practice. Amidst the struggle with the fire, I had to start thinking about where I was going to commit for soccer. College was looming closer every single day and I needed to make a decision.
Around November, I was pretty much decided on committing to the University of San Francisco. And then I received an email from a school I had never heard of, Rice University. My dad, just like with soccer, urged me to consider Rice as an option and at least take a visit to Houston. I hesitantly agreed to the visit and the trip, but I instantly fell in love with the school.
There's just something about Rice that clicked with me immediately, both from a school aspect and with coach Nicky Adams who made me feel so comfortable. That's when I knew Rice was the school for me. Fast forward a few years to my sophomore year of college, when I truly realized that everything happens for a reason. Our team qualified for the first round of the NCAA tournament and both individually and as a team, we set numerous Rice soccer records. I channeled my motivation and passion to accomplishing what was at hand and was named C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year. From when I started to play soccer at five years old to now, I never would have thought I'd end up in the position I'm in today. My experiences in high school, from the fire that destroyed our home, to my relationships with my friends and family may have felt like a setback at the time; however, I wouldn't have gotten through it all and pushed myself this far without soccer. I am truly blessed to be where I am and for that, I am a better person. The memories and success from being a student-athlete make every struggle and the dedication to the sport of soccer worth it. To be a senior now feels absolutely unbelievable. While I only have one more season left, the fact that I have four months left to make history with some of my best friends is amazing. Shout out to Louise, Erin, Lianne, and Haley! Let's leave our mark and, as always, love the grind.
GO OWLS!
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