Waters, Crusaders face BU and Loyola (Md.) week nine

Over the last two seasons, junior forward Allie Waters has been a key member of the Holy Cross women’s soccer front line. In her first two seasons, Waters has played in 17 games with nine starts for a total of 903 minutes of action in her career. This season she has stepped up for the Crusaders attack starting all 12 games on the season with two assists and 17 shots attempted. She has played a career high of 876 minutes as a forward with five more games of the regular season left.

The junior committed to Holy Cross in the winter of her junior year of high school. Waters had been to many showcases with her club team, CCO's United, and was approached by the head coach to come to a Holy Cross ID Clinic. After getting to meet the team and finding that the school checked off all the boxes, Waters knew she found the place for her. 

“I chose Holy Cross because I loved the team right away. I also loved the community and I loved the campus too,” said Waters. “It's a great athletic school, but it also has strong academics as well, and that's such a big aspect for me.”

The COVID-19 pandemic hit at the end of her junior year of high school right after she committed to the college. An altered senior season made for a challenging adjustment to collegiate play but the Massachusetts native didn't let the adversity hold her back.

"When I was a senior and having Covid affect the season was really tough in high school soccer and in club soccer too. I definitely think it impacted the way I came into college, especially academically. Coming into a school like Holy Cross was definitely such an adjustment, but that's why the team aspect was so crucial, because everyone was supporting everyone, which was awesome," Waters said. "Being a freshman, it's hard to get time. So I did not play a ton. We had a new coach come in and that was definitely an adjustment for me on top of school and being part of a new team. Coming in I was a little anxious, but also excited to get back to soccer and be around my team finally. There were definitely a ton of obstacles that are very common to be faced, but I learned so much from it. I feel like I got stronger because of all those obstacles. I've taken them with me as I've gotten older, started getting more minutes and started finding my feet."

Over the past two years, lots of change has occurred for the program which made it difficult for the squad to develop strong core values. Waters feels like the team has finally found their identity this season through shared group values focused on hard work, trust, and camaraderie.

“Having those core values is so important because when you're on the field and there's chaos and stress and a lot's going on, all you have to think about is our values of the team and what we know our identity is. So if I'm ever stressed or something's going on in a game, there's chaos. I can just remember 'Allie, all you gotta do is work hard, compete, get behind the ball, don't get beat on the dribble,” said Waters. “All these core things that coach always tells us, and our team instills day in and day out, that in itself is so different from previous years. We worked on that a lot last year, but obviously it's not gonna be perfect the first year. So this is another building block.”

The junior has seen two coaching changes in her time on The Hill which was difficult for the entire team. Now head coach Ben Graham has made a huge impact on the team in the short time he has been with the program. Waters has seen firsthand the impact coach Graham has made and how it has not only changed the way the team plays but how the players perceived the game of soccer.

“Graham helped us to love soccer again. It was really tough with the whole coaching change, I think a lot of us weren't in a great spot, but he just taught us to love soccer again. And that was the basic thing that got the ball rolling,” Waters said. “As soon as we started really working with him, we all got very defensive minded in the best way possible. We're very hard for other teams to score against, and we take a lot of pride in that. Our team is now also very, very disciplined and we have very high expectations. When someone's not doing their job, we hold each other accountable. It can be a very hard adjustment if you're coming into this environment because it is really intense. But you learn to love it. So it's really fun to have the high expectations constantly on you.”

Holy Cross took home its first conference win on senior day against Lehigh on Saturday Oct. 7. Senior forward Samantha Adams broke the Crusaders four game scoring drought with a goal at the 46th minute of play. Junior defender Grace Soltesz delivered a great cross into the box which Adams snuck past the keeper for the 1-0 lead. The Mountain Hawks answered back with the equalizer, tying the game up 1-1 at 60:00. Freshman midfielder Jenelle Murphy scored the game winner, assisted by senior forward Ellie Zern, at the 68:05 mark. Murphy's goal was the first in her career and earned her Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors.

“Something that is so important that we have been focusing on is finding someone that can put quality in the final third. To see Sammy and Jenelle step on the field and do that for us in the Lehigh game was crucial and amazing. We were all so excited about that, and it gave us more hope and more belief than we already do. We have a whole bench that can do that for us too.," said Waters. “Knowing that you can trust all of your teammates to go and do their job is what's going to carry us through the rest of the season. This is the first year where I feel like we finally believe that we can beat any team in the Patriot League with full confidence and every single game's a battle, but our entire team has our noses pointed in the right direction, and we believe that we can beat any team in the Patriot League this year.”

Waters in the past has been known to play such aggressive defense, to the point where she had a vast collection of fouls and cards, that she earned the nickname “The Dragon". This season she has been working hard to be more intentional and strategic when it comes to playing on the more aggressive side and it has paid off.

“Coach calls me ‘The Dragon’ because last year I committed a lot of fouls. I probably got a yellow card every single game and got a red in the beginning of the season in a non-conference game against Fairfield. I just was going after people. I felt as though I needed to impose my will by giving a lot of fouls, which I think lit a fire under my team, but my coach said sometimes it can light the whole field up and destroy the whole game,” Waters said. “This year I've been a lot more disciplined in how I commit fouls and the way that I impose my will on other people is not so much, dirty dumb plays. It's more strategic. Forcing them backwards, getting behind the ball. Since I'm an upperclassman now, I try and lead by example on and off the fields. I'm pretty emotional person, and last year I let that get to me. But this year having everyone on the same page, having leaders behind me, surrounding me, calming me down and supporting me all the time is so big. They've been good about making sure that we all don't get too out of hand.”

With the addition of 12 freshman and one transfer to the roster this season, Waters and the upperclassman have been tasked with leading this group and creating a positive environment. This plays into the ever growing team culture that the women's soccer team has been adjusting since the arrival of coach Graham.

“Our team culture has gotten significantly better. It just comes down to just the little things. From sharing a meal to doing homework together. The key is our team is constantly together. During preseason, we did a ton of team bonding which is so important, especially off the field, to make sure that no one is ever alone. It's just the little things that I think really helps the culture grow,” said Waters. “On the field, this is where our chemistry has become so effective.There's a lot of upperclassmen that know the deal, get the gist, and are also very, very close. So taking a lot of the underclassmen under their wing, we've been very good and successful with. The underclassmen have been amazing. They have lit a spark under all of us in the best way possible. They fire us up. There's just a new spark going forward in the attacking zone, knowing that we can make things happen up top. Trusting a lot of these younger players is something that we have all been doing. I think that's going to carry us really far, especially, in the end of the season.”

Coach Graham has been known for his popular sayings that have been a huge hit with his players. Waters is no exception and has taken to his saying “Impose your will”. This Grahamism has resonated with the junior because it reminds her to play strong, work hard and compete everyday.

“Impose your will, which we always talk about before games, especially if we're going up against another really gritty team. He says ‘who can impose more of their will’ which is aa huge thing,” Waters said. "I am obviously not the biggest player on the field, and I need to find ways to impose my will on other girls that might be a little bigger than me or stronger than me. And I think that having that in the back of my mind is crucial to how I play."

The Crusaders are on the road for two games this week, first they head to the city to take on Boston Univeristy on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Then they head to Baltimore, Md. to face off with Loyola on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 12 p.m. After earning their first conference win of the season, the Crusaders want to continue their momentum entering into this weeks matchups.

“We need to be a part of the attack and make things happen to get on the board. Whether that is a goal or an assist. Just having that mindset going up against two pretty tough competitors this week is key,” said Waters. “During practice, honestly, the only thing that we're really looking to do is just get numbers in the box and score however we can Whether that's just a scrappy goal or a pretty goal, crosses in the box. Anything, just getting a ton of numbers in the box and scoring goals and finding someone that can put quality in the back of the net. That's what we're looking for in practice. That's what you'll be seeing at BU and Loyola.”

When the clock is ticking in a game, Waters is always thinking 10 steps ahead of her opponent. She tries to get herself in the best position for her team and goes out there to compete. But the junior does try to keep in mind that at the end of the day, it's just a game and she reminds herself why she loves to play.

“I do put a lot of pressure on myself, but I just try to not even think about the pressure. I just think about how much I love to play soccer, especially during the national anthem, I always just think about when I was little, I wanted this so badly, so I always focus on that. Graham always says it's just football. But it's just soccer and it's just a game. It's fun and you're surrounded by your best friends. That actually helps me not put so much pressure on myself,” Waters said. “During a game, I try to be very proactive. I try and figure out where the ball's going to go 10 seconds before. Our entire team is a lot like that. When we get the ball on our feet, we already need to know where we're going to go with it. Being proactive and knowing that the people around me will also help calm me down. We have been doing a really good job about not getting too panicked when there's an obstacle, or not getting too panicked when we get punched in the face. We just get back up and just keep going.”

The junior form Newburyport, Mass. has always been very competitive and loved getting the opportunity to engage her competitive spirit in sports and dance. Her dad has been her number one fan, always reminding her to keep pursuing her passions and doing what she loves best. After choosing to continue her soccer career close to home, her parents and family are in her corner supporting her by coming out to her games.

“I'm super competitive and I loved how competitive the game of soccer is. I did competitive dance for a long time, and I loved that too, but it wasn't as team oriented as soccer is. So I had to make a decision between what I wanted to do and I wanted to continue playing soccer just because of how competitive it was. My dad is probably what pushed me to continue because the recruiting process gets really hard, especially not hearing back or being confused, there's just so much going on. So my dad has always just told me to keep going, it's gonna be hard, but just keep going,” said Waters. “Now, my mom and dad and my grandfather come to most of my games. So it's such a blast having them come. My parents actually travel to every single game, they're very dedicated fans. I have a ton of support behind me which is really nice.”

The one piece of advise she would give her freshman year self or any incoming first year would be to not put too much pressure on yourself.

“I would say the big thing is, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I think that you have so much support and that it's such a development process. You're not going to come in your freshman year and have nothing to work on," Waters said. “Coach emphasizes that there's so many ways you can grow as a player and if you come in with a growth mentality, I think that that'll get you really far.”

An English major, Waters is excited to spend her last two years on The Hill bonding with her teammates and getting to play another year of soccer. She is particually excited to get more time to bond with the underclassmen in the off season. After she graduates, Waters is thinking about a career in marking or business administration where she would get to work with a team.

'SADER SHORTS

• The Crusaders trail 4-12-0 against BU all-time

• Holy Cross stand 3-3-3 all-time against Loyola (Md.)

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